Stranded
by mrs-emmett-cullenx3
Summary: Japan Airlines flight 2232 has crashed on an island in the middle of the ocean. With no sign of rescue in the future, the survivors must fight for their lives against the natives of the island. Are they doomed to die on the island? AH,BxE,AxJ,RxE,complete
1. Prologue

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. She rocks.**

**(Go onto youtube and check out Shania Twain's video for "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" for an idea of what Bella is wearing and how she is dancing. Check out the link in my profile.)**

_Prologue_

BPOV

_April 2__nd__, 2004_

"Hello? Bella, are you awake?" Angela's voice pulled me out of my daydream. She was staring at me, looking somewhat pissed off. I wondered what I had done now.

"Sorry, Ang. I just zoned out there for a sec. Did you ask me something?"

"Yeah. Your table of pigs over there looks like they want a refill on their drinks. Not that they need it…" She trailed off, looking disgustedly at the table I had been serving all night. They looked like the typical clients we got at Lusty Lady. I could tell they were businessmen since they were wearing the typical 4-piece suit, so they had enough money to tip the dancers. Well, most of the girls here weren't exactly dancers. "Strippers" was a more appropriate word. Not that I had anything against strippers. I was friends with most of the girls who worked here. I just didn't strip. I was a waitress here, supplying all the "wonderful" gentlemen who frequented the joint with an endless supply of booze and food.

And the guys who came here were seriously pigs. I can't tell you how many times my ass was pinched each night or how many cheesy pick-up lines I got from the clients who had had a little too much to drink. Or a lot too much to drink. Angela and I would compare the lines used on us each night to see who had the worst men that evening.

I glanced over at my table. These guys had definitely had way too much to drink tonight. But, the drunker they were, the bigger the chance that they would leave me a big tip. Sighing, I grabbed my tray and walked over to the table. "Can I get you boys anything?" I asked them, smiling and winking at them. The one, who had been catcalling at all the girls all night, looked me up and down.

"Your daddy must have been a baker, because you've got a nice set of buns!" His line was met with drunken laughter from his friends, along with a few high-fives.

"Ha ha. Very funny, sir. Would you like a refill on your drinks?" They kept laughing and checking me out. I was seriously getting annoyed.

"Sure, baby, if I can get your number with that." I hated nights like this. I really needed to start looking into another job, one where I wouldn't be harassed every night. I walked back over to the bar to stand with Angela. We both looked on as Amber, the featured stripper of the night, came out on stage. AS soon as she started her dance, we turned our backs and faced the bar.

"So, are we still on for tonight?" Angela asked me.

"What?"

"The lessons. It's Thursday. You five me lessons every Thursday." She was looking kind of annoyed that I had possibly forgotten our Thursday night classes.

"Of course we're still on. They're the highlight of my week. You haven't told anyone what we're doing, right? If anyone found out, they'd all want to be there too." My voice sounded a little panicked. If anyone found out what we were doing every Thursday night, they would want to watch. And my Pete, my boss, would definitely want me to start stripping instead of just waitressing.

"Of course I haven't told anyone. What do you think I am, stupid?" She looked insulted. "Besides, if anyone else knew, I'd have to share you with them. I like it this way. Just you and me." She gave me a wink. Of course she liked it this way. I was giving her private lessons and she was becoming more confident. I had a feeling she was planning to use what I was teaching her to try and get Jackson, our bartender, to finally notice her. I sighed.

"Okay then. We'll meet out on the stage once everyone has left." I started wiping down the counter. Once Amber was done, that was it for the night. Thank god.

Once all the customers had left, I walked back into the dressing room to get changed. I wouldn't be wearing my uniform, if you could call this a uniform, to teach Angela. I don't even know why Pete made us wear anything here. We had on these skimpy black leather skirts and a matching bikini top. We wore 5-inch black stilettos. They weren't exactly the most comfortable things to be walking around a strip club in. As soon as I entered, all the girls looked at me. I sighed. It was going to be one of _those_ nights. Suddenly, Candy, one of the strippers walked up to me. I liked Candy. She could be kind of a bitch, but she was generally a sweet girl.

"Hey" she said. I looked at her. "So, it's Thursday."

"Yeah." I was kind of confused. So what if it was Thursday? Oh, crap. Did she know about Thursday nights with Angela? My face displayed a mix of horror and shock.

"Yeah, I know. We all know. We want in. We think your lessons could seriously help our routines. We won't tell Pete, I promise. Please, Bella, just let us watch!" God, I hated it when she whined, but I knew if I didn't give in, she'd keep whining until I did.

"Okay, fine! But you can't tell anyone else. Just be sitting at the stage in 10 minutes. Now everyone get out so I can change." They all left, talking excitedly amongst themselves. I was kind of nervous now. I had never done this in front of such a big audience before. I put on the oversized men's suit shirt, tie, tall black leather boots, a black trench coat, and a top hat over my brown, wavy hair. I grabbed the pimp cane as I pushed the curtain aside. I walked out on stage as I watched the excited girls staring back at me. "Okay, tonight I'm teaching the art of the strip tease. It's not like what you guys do every night. This is more tasteful. You won't be completely naked afterwards, but this is a good way to let the guy know you're in the mood. Ang, could you play track 7?" Angela walked over to the stereo and hit play. She cranked up the volume. Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" suddenly filled the club. I started swaying from side to side. I took off the top had and tossed it into the audience. I was strutting my stuff on stage. Every so often, I would dip down behind my cane, then pop back up. I could hear the girls cheering and whistling as I was doing my thing. Every so often, I would sexily remove another article of clothing. As Shania sang the last "I feel like a wo-man!" I threw off the tie. I was standing up there in my black lace lingerie in front of all the strippers from the club. They were standing and cheering. Angela looked amazed. I felt my face get red as I looked at all of them. When they had finished applauding, they sat down. Suddenly, I heard someone clapping; only the noise wasn't coming from in front of me. I looked over at the bar and saw a tall, handsome man standing there, staring at me, clapping. I quickly grabbed the shirt and threw it over myself. I walked over to the man. We were closed. What was he even doing here? "Excuse me sir, but we closed almost an hour ago."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little—ah—'lesson,'" He looked down at me with humorous eyes, "But I was supposed to meet with your manager, Pete about finalizing a deal. I'm the owner of Black Water Brewery, and Pete has just agreed to start distributing my booze here." His eyes lingered on my chest. I looked down and realized the shirt wasn't closed and my sexy lingerie was visible to him. I quickly pulled the shirt closed and looked into his eyes. They were black, but full of kindness. I looked at his face. He was beautiful. He had stunning russet-colored skin, and long, shiny, black hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was dressed in distressed jeans and a tee shirt with a jacket over top.

"I'm sorry, but Pete left for the evening. I'll make sure to tell him you stopped by, Mr.—" I paused, since he hadn't given me his name.

"—Jacob Black."

"Right, Mr. Black. He'll be in tomorrow morning, if you want to call him then." I glanced over at everyone else, but they had all left. We weren't supposed to be here after hours, and they probably wanted to avoid getting into trouble, especially since Jacob Black was doing business with us.

He smiled at me. "How about instead of calling him, you give me your number and I can set it up with you?" Did he really just ask for my number? Was this gorgeous man hitting on me? My face must of betrayed my shock, because he suddenly said, "Yes, I just asked for your number, Miss—"

"—Bella. Bella Swan. It's nice to meet you Jacob."

"It's nice to meet you too, Bella."


	2. Chapter 1: Take Off

**(AN: Stuff in italics is either a flashback or a dream.)**

_Chapter 1: Take Off_

BPOV

_May 21, 2008_

"_Hey sugar." The tall man leaning against the brick wall called at me. He was really handsome, for a grown up. He had on an old leather jacket and ripped jeans. He had long blonde hair pulled back behind his head. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days because his chin looked all stubbly._

"_Umm, hi?" I sounded unsure. Why was this man talking to me? I didn't know him. I was only 13, and he was, what, 25?_

"_So sugar, what's a pretty little thing like you doin' out here all by yourself?" He looked me up and down. It made me feel uncomfortable. _

"_I'm going to the grocery store to buy something for dinner for me and my dad."_

"_Pretty little things like you shouldn't have to walk to the store all by themselves. Here, let me give you a ride in my van." He had a southern drawl in his voice. He seemed nice, and he was offering me a ride to the store. I know Charlie always said to never talk to strangers, but this man was nice._

_And I was tired of walking. "Hey, thanks!" I walked over to his van and hopped in the passenger's side._

_20 minutes later, I was on my back on the floor of the forest, the man over me. He pulled his cock out and forced it into me. I screamed in pain. He seemed to enjoy my pain because he thrust himself inside me harder. _

_I thought sex was supposed to be enjoyable. I thought it was supposed to be with someone you loved. That's what Ashley, my friend had told me at school. I didn't love this man. I barely knew him. One minute, he was driving me to the grocery store, the next he was driving through trees. As soon as he got to where he wanted, he pulled me from the van, threw me on the ground, and started tearing all my clothes off._

_I wanted to scream out. I was scared of this man, and he was hurting me. I wanted to cry out for help._

_But I couldn't. I glanced down at the knife that was being held to my throat. He didn't have to tell me what would happen if I made any noise. If I screamed, that knife would drag across my throat, and I would be dead in less than 3 minutes._

_He kept thrusting in and out of me. This wasn't how I supposed to lose my virginity. I was only 13. I wasn't ready. The tears started to spill out of my eyes. I just wanted it to be over._

_He pushed himself into me harder, and I couldn't stop the whimper that escaped out of my lips. He looked down at me and smiled. He moved the knife from my throat to right below my collarbone. He pushed it into my skin and dragged it until he reached my breast. _

_He kept his hand over my mouth to prevent me from screaming out in pain. I looked down and saw the blood oozing out of the wound he had just made._

_Then, he grabbed my arm and cut me again, leaving a long, bloody line from my shoulder to my elbow. The entire time he was cutting me, he kept thrusting in and out of me._

_Suddenly, he pulled himself out of me. He got up off the ground and zipped his pants. He looked down at me and said, "See you around, sugar."_

My eyes flew open. The images from my dream were burned in my mind. I hadn't had that dream in 3 years. Ever since I had started dating Jacob, I was happier. I never dreamed about my rape anymore.

But here I was, dreaming about it again. I was still able to remember all the details, even though it had happened more than 10 years ago. I remembered the drawl of his voice, the harsh texture of his skin, the pain I felt when he thrust himself inside of me. After he left, I stayed on the ground, paralyzed with fear that he was going to come back and kill me.

When I finally got up, I grabbed my clothes. They were ripped and dirty. I threw them on myself and ran out of the forest, crying and screaming for help the whole time. When I finally made it to the highway, I collapsed. I was exhausted and bleeding and I wanted to go home.

A cop car pulled up. I prayed it was Charlie, my dad, the chief of police. Deputy Mark got out of the car. He took one look at me, crying and covered in blood, picked me up, put me in the cruiser, and drove me to the station.

After I had been cleaned up by the paramedics, my dad took me home. Ever since that night, I had nightmares about the man. I dreamed he was going to come back and kill me.

I never told anyone about my nightmares, because I never told anyone about what happened to me. I never told Charlie what really happened. I told him I had been in the forest and gotten cut on a rock. My best friends never knew I was living a traumatized life.

I rolled on to my stomach and looked at the pillow next to me. It was empty.

I sat up, wrapping the blanket around me. I was completely naked under the blankets.

I peeked around the room, looking for Jacob. He had been my knight in shining armor. After we had met at Lusty Lady that night, Jacob came back to the club every night, trying to talk to me. After six months of saying no, I finally allowed him to take me on one date. Here we were, 3 1/2 years later, engaged. It was so exciting. I couldn't wait to become Mrs. Jacob Black.

I looked at the wall. The picture had fallen off and the lamb was on the floor. The end table was on its side too. I blushed. I guess I had been a little too enthusiastic last night.

"Jake?" I called out into the dark suite. I looked around. He was nowhere to be seen. I really needed him right now to comfort me after my nightmare.

"In the bathroom, Bells." His voice came from around the corner. I got up, keeping the blanket wrapped around me, and ventured over to the bathroom. I peeked in. He was in his boxers, and nothing else. Brushing his teeth, he turned and looked at me when he heard my feet on the tiles. He looked down and smiled at me.

He spit into the sink and gargled. He turned toward me, bent down, and kissed me lightly on my lips. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. I'm glad to see you're finally awake. By the way, you were amazing last night."

I blushed. I couldn't help it. I had basically attacked him last night, pushing him into the wall as I tore at his clothes. I guess the lamp had fallen over as we made our way to the bed.

"You weren't too bad yourself." And he honestly wasn't. Jacob was amazing in the sack. I had never slept with anyone who could do the things that Jacob could. He pleasured me in ways that no one had done before. I was no Virgin Mary; I had slept with plenty of guys before Jacob. I was from a trailer park, and was the definition of trailer trash. In high school, I fucked a different guy each week. I had a tramp stamp. I was pregnant when I was 14.

But now, I had been in a serious, monogamous relationship for more than 3 years. I loved Jacob, and soon, I would be his wife. My life couldn't be more perfect.

We were in Japan now. Jacob was trying to get some of the businesses over here to start serving Black Water beer. His brew was served in almost all bars in the United States and Europe. He now wanted to expand to the Asian market.

"Ready to go home?" he asked, brushing his finger along my cheek. I shivered involuntarily.

"You have no idea. I like it here, but I'm ready to sleep in my bed again. Hey, do I have time to shower, or will we miss our flight?"

He looked at me, fighting back laughter. "Bella, it's 11:00am. Our flight isn't until 3:00pm. You have plenty of time. Though you know, I wouldn't mind showering with you…" He trailed off seductively.

I instantly felt the temperature in my face rise.

He sighed. "I love when you blush. You look so adorable with your cheeks all red." He pulled me and crushed my body into his. "Is that a yes on the shower?"

"C'mon, baby. Let's get wet." I dropped the blanket and crushed my lips to him. I jumped up, wrapping my legs around him. He carried me into the shower, turning the water on without breaking the kiss.

********

I was just finishing putting the rest of my clothes in my suitcase when I felt a hand on my waist.

"Hey, sugar" the voice said. I instinctively grabbed the hand and flipped the stranger over. I looked down and saw Jacob lying flat on his back, a mixed look of shock and pain on his face.

"Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry! I'm a little jumpy today, and I wasn't expecting you to come up behind me." The truth was, my nightmare was still fresh in my mind, and I thought Jake was _him_ when he touched me and called me "sugar." But I couldn't tell Jacob that. If he knew I had a nightmare, he would freak out.

"Bell, what's going on?"

"Nothing" I lied. Confusion spread across his face. Crap. He knew what I looked like when I lied. Shit, shit, shit.

"Bella, you're lying. I know you're lying. Tell me what's wrong." He looked concerned. I knew I would regret this later, but I decided to tell him about my nightmare.

"It's just, I had the nightmare last night, and it's kind of freaking me out right now. I haven't thought about that since I've been with you. I don't know why I thought about it last night. It just freaked me out." Jacob stood up and put his arms around me.

"It's okay, Bella. You don't have to worry. I'll never let anything like that every happen to you again, I promise. If it makes you feel any better, we'll get a brand new security system installed in the house when we get home." That made me feel better. Ever since Jacob had found out I lived in a trailer, he had insisted I move in with him. For the past 3 years, I had been living with him in his enormous mansion. Dating a millionaire definitely had its perks. We went to the best restaurants, stayed at the nicest hotels in the nicest rooms, and were treated with respect wherever we went.

I was excited to go home. I couldn't wait to tell Charlie that Jacob and I were getting married. He loved Jacob like his own son. When he found out that Jacob would soon be part of the family, he would be ecstatic.

Jacob pulled away from my body, still keeping a hold on of my hands. "Babe, you have to finish packing. We're leaving in 10 minutes."

I looked up at him. "Okay, I'm almost finished." I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and finished putting everything else in my suitcase.

Jacob and I walked down to the lobby with our luggage. He checked out and asked the desk people to call us a limo.

We walked outside, and the limo was waiting for us. The driver put all our things in the trunk as we climbed into the car.

I snuggled next to Jacob, resting my head on his shoulder. He put his hand on my knee and gave me a kiss on my forehead. The driver got in the car and drove us to the airport.

********

EPOV

"Get up, bitch. We're gonna be late!" I heard Emmett's voice enter my head. I groaned. It couldn't be time to leave yet. I just needed 10 more minutes of sleep…

Suddenly, I felt my body go ice cold. I jumped out of the bed, falling on the floor. I looked up and saw Emmett cracking up.

"What the fuck, Emmett?" I was soaking wet. "An alarm clock would have sufficed."

"Well, bro, I've been trying to get you up for the past hour, so I thought you needed a little more motivation."

"And your idea of motivating me is to hose me down with ice cold water while I'm in my boxers?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He had a huge grin on his face now.

"Fuck you, Emmett."

"Chill out, little bro. Besides, we have to get over to the airport unless we want to be stuck in Japan another night."

"All right, all right" I grumbled, "I'm up."

"Good. Whitlock is downstairs in the lobby, checking us out. Get your shit together and let's go."

I got dressed quickly and threw all my crap in my bag. I was happy to be going home. Emmett and I were here in Japan helping Jasper promote his new film. Emmett was in post-season, so he wasn't training every day. I checked with my chief-of-surgery, and he had said it was cool if I took off for a few days.

So here we were in Tokyo, loving life.

I walked down to the lobby and instantly spotted Jasper and Emmett. Emmett was huge. Well, he was a football player. He had black, curly hair and enormous biceps. Jasper was next to him.

Jasper definitely fit the part of a movie star. He had blonde hair and good looks. Whenever we went out, girls always fawned over him, since he was famous and handsome.

"Cullen, hurry your ass up. I've been down here since noon waiting for you." Jasper looked annoyed.

"Sorry, Whitlock. I was just finishing jacking off." Jasper cracked up. "Are we all checked out?"

"Yeah. It's all taken care of. Now let's hail a cab and get to the airport before we miss our flight. Again."

********

We got to the airport in record time. We breezed through security and walked over to gate A23, where our flight was leaving from. I grabbed us three seats in the waiting area and looked around.

It looked like we had an interesting group of people going from here to L.A. A couple of people with kids, some international people, a couple who definitely looked like they were in love, and, _fuck, _Newton was here too. I better make sure Emmett didn't see, unless we wanted a fight.

Mike Newton was a defensive linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles. Emmett was a defensive linebacker for the New York Giants. The Eagles and the Giants hated each other; therefore, Newton and Emmett hated each other.

Emmett was walking over with Jasper, laughing boisterously. I looked over at Newton.

"Hey, Cullen!" I saw Emmett look over at Newton as Newton flipped him the bird.

"Fuck you, Newton."

"Can't. I just finished fucking Holly. She said I was the best she ever had." He smiled deviously.

Emmett's eyes narrowed. Ah, yes. How could I forget Holly? Emmett's ex-girlfriend and Newton's current girlfriend. "Just be happy we're in a public place, Newton." Emmett plopped down next to me. I looked over at Newton again, but suddenly, my eyes caught something else.

I saw a beautiful, brown-haired girl looking at us. She had the most amazing eyes and a quizzical look on her face. She was staring at us, probably because of Emmett. She turned her eyes back to the guy whose lap she was sitting in.

Fuck.

She's taken.

Dream on, Cullen.

You don't even fucking know her.

Forget about it.

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep and forget about the gorgeous girl sitting 20 feet away from me.

********

BPOV

"What the hell was that about?" I asked Jacob. Two guys (they looked like football players from their size) had just gotten into a fighting match.

"Oh" said Jacob. "That's Emmett Cullen and Mike Newton. They're football players for two teams that hate each other. They hate each other, too."

"Oh. Funny that they're both in Japan at the same time."

"Yeah, well it looks like Cullen is here with Jasper Whitlock—"

"Jasper WHITLOCK?" I shrieked. He was my favorite actor. He was so handsome and dreamy. I looked over, and there he was, sitting with Emmett the football player.

"Yeah, he's promoting that new movie—"

"—Taken" I replied instantly.

"Yeah, whatever. And I think Newton is here with Holly Madison, his girlfriend, helping her promote something. I don't see her though…" Jacob looked around the area, searching for Holly. "Shame. I would have loved to meet her."

"Well, you'll have to settle for me right now" I teased. I started nibbling on his ear.

"Mmm. That feels nice." We sat in the waiting area for another 10 minutes. Suddenly, a voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Good afternoon. We would like to start boarding for Japan Airlines flight 2232, nonstop flight to Los Angeles. We will now be boarding all first-class passengers."

Jacob gently nudged me off his lap. "That's us." I looked around. I noticed both the football players were also riding first class. A short, black haired woman stood up, along with a statuesque blonde woman.

Once the flight attendant scanned our tickets. We boarded the plane. We found our seats. Jacob let me have the aisle seat because he knew I hated being next to the window. We were in the last row of first class.

Soon, all the other passengers began to board. Once everyone was in their seats, I looked around. A bronze-haired main in the front row was looking back at me. Strange. I smiled at him, then turned and gave Jacob a swift peck on the lips.

The captain greeted us, and the flight attendants went over the safety instructions. I don't know why they even bothered. Flights rarely crashed. The plane took off without a hitch. I put my head on Jacob's shoulder and closed my eyes, hoping I wouldn't open them again until we were in Los Angeles.


	3. Chapter 2: It's Just a Little Turbulence

Chapter 2: It's Just a Little Turbulence

EmPOV

I looked over at my seat partner, unable to take my eyes off of her.

I knew exactly who she was as soon as she walked onto the plane.

Rosalie Hale.

Miss October 2006.

Playmate of the Year 2007.

The most gorgeous woman I had ever seen.

And she was sitting next to me. On this plane. For the next 10 hours.

Only in my dreams did stuff like this happen.

She glanced at me. "I know who you are. You're Emmett Cullen."

"I know. And I know who you are. You're Rosalie Hale."

She smiled. "I know" she replied, using my line. "Anyway, I've seen you play before. You're amazing. Much better than Mike Newton."

I laughed. "Honey, everyone knows I'm better than Mike Newton. He's just a pussy who can't keep his hands on the ball for more than 2 seconds."

She smiled. "What was that shouting match about earlier?"

"That's just Newton being fucking Newton. He's a douche. He pisses me off, and I piss him off."

"I heard him mention Holly Madison."

My eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Like I said, he's a fucking douche."

She looked into my eyes. God, she had the most amazing blue eyes I had ever seen in my life. She brushed her hair off her shoulder. "Well, I know you two dated for awhile, and he's dating her now. I'm not judging or anything, I was just wondering what he said about her that got you so pissed."

"He was just throwing it in my face how he's fucking her and I'm not."

She reached up and put a lock of her hair behind her ear. The scent of her hair hit me when she moved. It was intoxicating. She smiled at me again. "I wouldn't be too upset. Holly's a slut. She's cheating on him, you know."

I looked at her, shocked. "What?"

"Yeah, she's doing three other guys on the side. You should be happy to be rid of her." She leaned closer to me. "If it were me, I would have never let you go." She winked at me.

Was Rosalie Hale, playboy model, flirting with me?

********

RPOV

What was wrong with me?

I never flirted with guys. I waited for them to flirt with me.

It was just that this guy was really cute.

He looked at me, stunned.

"Well," he said, "if I had been with someone like you, I would have never done anything to make you want to leave." He reached over and grabbed my hand. I laced my fingers in-between his.

He smiled at me. "Well, Miss Hale, I believe you are flirting with me." He pretended to be embarrassed.

I smiled at him. "Well Mr. Cullen, I believe you are correct." I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.

His eyes popped open. Instead of pushing me away, he leaned into my lips, filling my mouth with his hot breath. I gasped, and threw my arms around his neck.

This was the best kiss of my life.

EPOV

"That's gotta be a record. We've been in the air for, what, 20 minutes, and he's already making out with her?" Jasper was pointing at Emmett. I looked over. Sure enough, he had his tongue down the throat of the girl sitting next to him.

I didn't look like she minded too much.

I glanced behind me at the brown-haired girl sitting in the back row. She was asleep on her boyfriend's shoulder. He had his arm around her and his face in her hair.

Fuck. Me.

Why was I obsessing over this girl? I didn't even know her.

Why did it bother me that she had a boyfriend?

God, I needed help.

"Whoa, check her out."

"Who?"

"The little pixie over there." Jasper pointed to the girl sitting next to Newton. Jasper was right—she looked like a pixie. She was tiny with short black hair. She didn't look thrilled about sitting next to Newton. He kept trying to get her attention, but she turned her head and started reading a magazine.

"She's cute, I guess." My mind was far from her. Actually, my mind was three rows back with the brown-haired beauty.

"Cullen, that's Alice Brandon!"

"Huh?"

"Alice Brandon? The Brandon sisters? Oh, c'mon! Her dad owns Brandon hotels! Her sister's here too, sitting behind her."

"Well, if you like her, you can probably get her, Whitlock. You're a fucking movie star."

"You're probably right." Conceited bastard. Why did I decide to sit with him instead of Emmett?

"Shut the fuck up, Whitlock." He glared at me. "Sorry."

"What's got your panties in a bunch, Cullen?"

"Nothing. I'm gonna catch a few Z's." I put on my headphones and closed my eyes.

I was almost asleep when I felt the cabin shaking around me.

Fuck.

This is what I hated about flying.

Fucking turbulence.

I looked over at Emmett. He had his arm around the blonde next to him and was whispering in her ear.

I looked back at the brunette. She was still sleeping.

********

BPOV

I woke up, startled. I was bumping all around in my seat. It didn't feel too great. I looked over at Jacob. He looked worried.

"Jake, what's going on?" I was panicking. This wasn't normal.

"I don't know baby. Maybe we're hitting some rough weather." He reached over and stroked my face.

The cabin was really starting to shake now. The captain's voice filled the plane. "Ladies and gentlemen, we seem to be hitting a rough patch. It's nothing to worry about. It's just a little turbulence. I'm going to ask that everyone return to their seats now and fasten your seatbelts."

"Jacob, I'm scared!" I was starting to shake. Jacob put his arms around me.

"Shh, Bella. It's okay. You don't have anything to worry about. The captain knows what he is doing. Just relax." He was rubbing my back and kissing the top of my head. I leaned into him and felt better.

Suddenly, the cabin gave a ferocious shake. The lights started flickering, until the cabin went pitch black.

People started screaming. I heard children crying in the background. I grabbed Jacob's hand. I was so scared. Jacob interlaced our fingers and put his arm around me. He was whispering in my ear, trying to calm me down.

I didn't like this. I wanted to land. I didn't care if we landed in Los Angeles or Iowa. I just wanted this flight to be over.

The cabin gave a sudden lurch and all the bags in the overhead bins fell into the aisle. When the screaming began, I joined in. This wasn't happening. I wasn't on the plane. I was back at the hotel in Tokyo, having a nightmare. I closed my eyes and opened them again. I was still on the plane, and things were getting worse.

The air masks dropped down in from of us and I quickly put mine on. I was starting to hyperventilate. I grabbed Jacob's hand and squeezed it. I was shaking from fear, and I could feel he was starting to shake too.

I didn't know what was going on. I just wished the captain would come back on the loudspeaker and tell us what was going on.

Two loud bangs were heard, and the plane started shaking harder.

I looked at Jake with fear in my eyes. "Jake, what's happening?"

He looked back at me, trying to remain calm. "I don't know, baby. I really don't know."

********

EPOV

What the hell was happening? I looked around the plane. Luggage was in the aisles, everyone was wearing air masks, people were screaming.

I looked over at Emmett. He had his arms around the blonde. She had her face buried in his chest and it looked like she was crying.

Jasper was grabbing the armrest. I looked at his knuckles. They were white.

God, I really hoped the pilot got things under control soon.

And what the fuck was that banging noise 5 minutes ago?

I looked back at the brown-haired girl. She had a look of sheer panic in her eyes. Her boyfriend was trying to calm her down, but she was hyperventilating. It looked like she was crying too.

"Cullen, what the fuck is going on?" Jasper was looking at me, real panic in his voice.

"I don't know, Jasper. Maybe we hit a storm?" Jasper looked out his window.

"Holy fuck!" he yelled. "There's fucking smoke coming off of the fucking plane!"

"What?" I asked. What the fuck did he mean, there was smoke coming off of the plane.

He pointed out his window. "Look!" I glanced out his window. Sure enough, I saw thick clouds of black smoke billowing out from the plane.

"Is the plane on fire?"

"How the fuck should I know. All I know is that this is very bad."

"No shit, Sherlock." I saw one of the flight attendants rushing up the aisle, back to her seat. "Excuse me, ma'am?" I asked her. "Why is there smoke coming off the fucking plane?"

She looked at me, real terror in her eyes. "I don't know!" she wailed. "I have no idea what's going on!" She rushed back to the front and sat in her seat.

Jasper and I looked at each other. "We're fucked" was all he muttered.

********

BPOV

I had my arms around Jacob's neck, and I was crying out with fear.

What the hell was going on?

Why was the plane shaking?

I looked out the window and saw black smoke coming off the wing of the plane. I turned Jacob's head towards the open window.

"Fuck. Bella, I need to go up to the front and see what's going on."

"No, Jake! You can't leave me! Please, don't!" I was panicking now. If he left me, I would truly lose it.

"Shh, Bells. I won't leave you. I promise." He stroked my head and looked me in the eyes.

Suddenly, we heard loud cracking sound behind us. I tuned my head to look.

My jaw dropped open.

There was a line forming down between two rows in the middle of the plane. As the line got bigger, the back half of the plane fell lower and lower until I heard a loud bang and the back half of the plane broke off from ours. I looked at the back of the plane, too stunned to speak.

It kept falling, spiraling down toward an island that I didn't know was below us. I turned to look at Jacob when I heard a huge explosion. I looked back again and saw that the back half of the plane had exploded.

Pieces of metal were now shooting everywhere from the explosion. I looked at Jacob, fear in my eyes. I was kneeling on the ground, holding his hand. He stood up and was looking around when I heard a whistling sound.

I looked behind him and saw a piece of the engine heading straight for him.

"Jacob, look out!" I screamed at him.

He turned around and saw the metal sailing through the air, aimed right at his head. Before he could do anything, the whistling stopped. I looked up at him and screamed.

The piece of the engine that was in the air a minute ago was now running straight through Jacob's head. I looked down at myself, screaming, and saw that I was covered in blood. I looked back up at Jacob and saw the blood pouring from his wound was falling on me.

Jacob fell back into his seat.

"Jacob! No! Jacob, look at me!" I was shaking him, trying to make him look at me. He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't!

Jacob's face was quickly turning white as more and more blood pooled out.

"Bella…" Jake could barely speak. He looked at me, then his eyes drooped and he was no longer holding my hand.

"Jake! Talk to me! Don't leave me! Jacob, no! I stood up and started shaking him again, trying to make him wake up. I was sobbing uncontrollably, trying to stop the bleeding from his head.

I heard the whistling sound again. I turned around and saw another piece of metal zooming straight for my head. I opened my mouth and started screaming. I closed my eyes, preparing for the metal to kill me like it killed Jacob.

Suddenly, I felt the wind get knocked out of me. I opened my eyes and saw the metal cut through the seat in front of mine, exactly where I was standing a second ago. I looked above me and saw the bronze-haired man from the front row on top of me, shielding me.

He saved my life.

********

EPOV

Holy shit.

Holy SHIT!

I just saved her life.

I don't know how I did it, but I saved the beautiful brown-haired girl's life.

One minute I was with Jasper, staying close to the ground to avoid the flying pieces of debris.

I looked back at the girl in the back row. As soon as I looked at her, I watched a piece of the back half of the plane fly straight through her boyfriend's head. She started screaming and trying to save him.

She was covered in his blood and she was crying. She stood up and was shaking him when I saw another piece of metal sailing through the air, aimed right at her head.

I didn't think.

I acted.

I ran down the aisle and tackled her to the ground. A moment later, the debris connected with the seat in front of me. She looked shocked when she saw me on top of her.

"You…you…" She couldn't form words. She was so stunned.

"I'm sorry for jumping on top of you, but that metal was about to go right through your head."

"You saved my life!" She was crying again. I looked down at my shirt. Great. When I grabbed her, I got some of the blood on her on me."

She tried to stand up, but I pushed her down again. "Stay down. There are still pieces of debris flying through the air." She laid back down on the ground. I stayed there, protecting her in case anything fell on top of her.

The captain's voice filled the cabin. "Everyone hold on tight. Prepare for a crash landing!"

The girl grabbed me and pulled her body close to me. I put my arms around her waist and pressed her to the floor.

The cabin lurched again and the two of us flew into the seat in front of us. Quickly, the cabin began filling with water.

I grabbed the girl's hand. "Hurry! We have to get out of here before the plane completely fills with water." I pulled her behind me as I ran towards the back of the plane.

We both swam out of the plane and headed for the surface.

We both turned and looked at the plane, our jaws dropping open.

It was half submerged in the water, and sinking quickly. I started swimming toward the things floating in the water, looking for something that could support our weight.

I saw a safety raft. I pulled the cord, and watched the raft inflate quickly.

"Over here!" I called out to the girl I saved. She swam over to me. "Get in the raft" I ordered. She obeyed and climbed in. I was about to dive back into the water when she grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?" There was a note of panic in her voice.

"I have to go back. There are still people in the plane. I have to save them." Her eyes widened in fear, but she nodded.

I dove into the water and swam back to the plane. I kicked through a window and swam in. I saw a girl, struggling to find a way out. I grabbed her arm and pushed her to the window. There was still some air left in the plane.

I swam to the surface and looked around. I saw Jasper, helping Alice Brandon and her sister find a way out.

"Jasper!" I called out.

"Edward! We can't find a way out." He looked worried. Alice's sister was starting to cry.

"There's an exit under me. Just swim down and look for the open window. Once you get out, there's a raft at the surface. Just get in it once you get out."

Jasper nodded and grabbed Alice's hand. He and the two girls swam down, heading for the exit.

"Seth! Seth, where are you?" I looked and saw a young woman searching around frantically.

She swam over to me. "Have you seen a boy, about 15, with shoulder length black hair? He's my younger brother and I can't find him."

"No, I'm sorry. I haven't seen him." She started crying.

"I just have to find him! He's all I have left."

I heard splashing and looked around.

"Leah! Leah!" A teenage boy was swimming toward us.

"Seth!" she cried out. "Seth, don't you ever scare me like that again."

"You two, if you swim down, there's an open window that you can escape through."

She nodded. "Thank you."

The both swam down to the exit.

The cabin was almost full with water. I couldn't see anything. I took a deep breath, and swam out the window.

I swam up to the surface and looked around. I saw the raft, filled with people. I swam over and climbed in.

"Jasper, have you seen Emmett?" I was worried. Where was my brother?

"No, I haven't. But look, there're other rafts in the distance, paddling towards that island over there. Maybe he's there." Jasper sounded hopeful.

I prayed he was. "Okay. Well, we should head in that direction. Everyone, grab an oar and start paddling."

All the survivors picked up an oar and started rowing.

I walked over to the brown-haired girl and sat next to her. She was crying.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Jacob…Jacob…Jacob…" She leaned her head against my shoulder and broke down in tears.

I put my arm around her. "Shh, it'll be okay. Don't worry. I'm Edward by the way. Edward Cullen."

"B-B-B-Bella Swan."

We sat there in the raft, heading toward our only hope of survival.

********

**AN: Sorry to end it like that. You'll just have to wait until the next chapter is up!**


	4. Chapter 3: The Island

Chapter 3: The Island

**(AN: Check out the ****Ghost**** pottery scene link in my profile.)**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

EPOV

"_And do you, Edward Anthony Cullen, take this woman, Tanya Elizabeth Denali, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest was looking at me._

"_I do." I had never been surer about anything in my entire life._

"_Then by the power vested in me, I know pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."_

_I took Tanya's beautiful face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers. It was official. She was mine, and only mine._

_I took her hand and pulled her close._

"_We did it," I whispered in her ear. _

"_I know. I've never been happier." She reached up and planted a kiss on my cheek._

_We left the church and got in the limo waiting for us._

_When we arrived at the reception, all of our family and friends were waiting there for us. We entered the ballroom to a loud round of applause._

_Tanya and I took the dance floor. Everyone watched as we danced to our song, "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. It was the song playing when we had our first kiss._

_We had been watching __Ghost__, and I leaned over and kissed her during the pottery scene while the song was playing._

_After that, it became "our song." _

_Tanya leaned her head on my shoulder. "I love you," she said._

"_I love you too" I whispered back to her._

_After 4 hours of dancing, eating, and talking to people, the reception was finally over._

"_Ready to go?" I asked Tanya. _

_She looked up at me and nodded._

_We made our way up to the honeymoon suite for the night. We were leaving the next morning for Maui for our honeymoon. _

_When we got to our floor, I picked her up and carried her to the room._

_I was ready to finally be alone with my wife. Tonight was the first night of the rest of our life together._

********

I looked at Bella, who had her head on my shoulder. She was still crying and shaking.

I put my arm around her and pulled her closer to me.

I glanced around the raft at all the other survivors with us.

Jasper and the Brandon sisters were here, along with a few other first class passengers.

The girl, Leah and her brother, Seth, were huddled together, trying to stay calm. I saw Seth put an arm around his sister as she let out a loud sob.

I kept looking around, hoping to see Emmett. I didn't see his bulky figure anywhere.

Newton was here. He had a cut on his forehead and his shirt was covered in blood.

The raft shook. I looked down.

I could see the sand at the bottom of the ocean.

I jumped out of the raft and started towing it towards the shore of the island.

A bunch of the other survivors got out to help. We easily towed it onto the beach.

I looked around. I saw other survivors on the shore, searching around frantically for their friends and family. I saw life preservers and other rafts on the beach.

I turned back to my raft and started helping people out of it.

"Edward! Jasper!" I saw a huge figure running on the beach towards me.

"Emmett!" I called out to him. I was so relieved to see him alive.

He ran up to me and pulled me into one of his bone crushing hugs.

"Jeez, little bro, you had me worried there. When I didn't see you, I thought you and Whitlock were at the bottom of the ocean." He put me down and gave Jasper a huge hug.

"We're fine, Emmett. We were just trying to get everyone else out of the plane before it was completely flooded."

"Yeah, us too. We were at the back, pulling out as many people as we could."

"Us?" I asked.

"Yeah, me and Rose." He gestured to the woman standing next to him.

"Hi." She smiled at Jasper and me.

"So, what happened to you guys? How long have you been here?"

"Well, once we had helped everyone we could out of the plane, we started heading for this island. We grabbed onto a piece of the plane and paddled here. We got here about half an hour before you guys. It's been chaos here. People are freaking out. They're flipping out at everyone over everything. If someone doesn't do something, we're all going to end up killing each other." Emmett looked at me, worried.

Mike Newton walked over to Emmett and slugged him in the face.

"What the fuck?" Emmett shouted at Newton. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"You!" Newton was screaming at Emmett. "This is all your fault! You did something to make the plane crash, I know it!" Emmett ducked Newton's next punch and socked min in the gut.

"Emmett, stop!" This was ridiculous. I needed to do something quick before Newton and Emmett killed each other.

I looked around and saw other people fighting too.

I stood up on a tree stump and whistled to get everyone's attention.

"Hey, everyone!" They all looked at me. "Now, I know we don't all know each other. I know we don't all like each other. I know we're all scared and worried and don't know what's going to happen. We were all thrown together in this situation. This is no one's fault, so it won't help to play the blame game. But we have to all start getting along and working together, because if we don't, we're all going to die on this island before we have a chance at being rescued."

Everyone looked at me, eyes wide, jaws dropped.

I continued. "We need to start building a fire, look for food, and build shelter. It's going to be dark in a few hours, so we need to get on that now. We also need to find water, since we can't drink the seawater. My guess is there's probably a pond or something somewhere on this island. Now, let's try and work together so we can get this done."

I stepped down and walked over to Emmett. He and Newton had stopped fighting.

"Sorry, Cullen. I guess I just freaked out there for a minute." Newton turned around. "Hey!" he called out. "I'm going into the jungle to look for some food. Anyone who wants to help should come with me."

He walked over to the edge of the forest. A small group formed around him, and they set off into the jungle.

Emmett looked at me. "I guess I'll start making some kind of shelters for everyone to sleep in." He walked along the beach, putting all the debris people had used to get to the island in a pile. Rose followed behind him, helping.

Jasper walked along the beach, picking up logs and putting them in a pile. I went over to him and helped.

After 20 minutes, we had a teepee of logs. "Jasper, we need something like hay that will ignite once we get the fire started."

Jasper looked at me, and ran to the edge of the forest, searching. He came back over a minute later with some kind of grassy material.

"Will this work?" he asked me.

"Yeah, that's fine."

We set to work, trying to start a fire.

After half an hour, Jasper turned to me. "This is hopeless. We're never going to get this thing going."

"We have to keep trying."

Suddenly, I saw a little bit of smoke. "Jasper, look!"

He looked down at our material. The grass was smoking.

He bent over and started to blow on it lightly.

10 minutes later, we had a fire going.

"Excellent work, my friend." We smiled at each other, proud of what we had accomplished.

The two Brandon sisters came over and sat by us.

"Edward, this is Alice—"he pointed to the pixyish girl on his left "—and Cynthia Brandon." He pointed to the small girl with long hair on his right. "Alice and Cynthia, this is Edward Cullen, my friend."

"It's nice to meet you."

We sat by the fire, waiting for Newton and the rest of the food group to return.

I looked around for Bella, and finally saw her sitting on the beach, facing the ocean.

I got up, walked over, and sat next to her.

"Hey," I said to her.

She looked at me and smiled, but didn't say anything.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

She looked at me with sadness in her eyes.

"I just keep thinking about it. It's all my fault. If he was paying attention instead of worrying about me, he would have seen the—the—the metal coming toward him." She leaned her head against her knees and started crying.

I put my arm around her. She moved her head from her knees to my shoulder.

"It's okay, Bella. It's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for something that was out of your control."

She wiped the tears away from her eyes, but kept her head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I must be annoying you with all my crying."

"No, you're not. I'd be worried if you _weren't _crying. You saw your boyfriend die. If that didn't upset you, I'd think there was something seriously wrong with you." I looked at her and gave her a small smile.

"That was a great speech you gave earlier, and it worked. Everyone stopped fighting and they're now working together. You're a great leader, Edward." Her cheeks turned red when she said this.

I looked at her, surprised. "Umm, thanks." I didn't know what else to say.

I glanced behind me and saw Newton and the food group coming out of the forest.

"Hey, looks like the food is here."

We both got up and walked over towards the fire.

"Did you guys find anything for us to eat?" I asked Newton.

"Yeah, we found some fruit and berries and shit" he said, "But we also found something else."

"What?"

"Well, we were walking through the jungle, looking for food, when we found this." He held up a suitcase. "My guess is that when the plane split in half over the island, a lot of the luggage fell out of the plane and into the jungle. I think we should send a group into the jungle tomorrow to look for any other suitcases that might be there. It'll give us more clothes, and other things that people packed like shampoo, toothbrushes, deodorant, stuff like that."

"That's a good idea. We're also going to need other food besides fruit. We should try and catch some fish tomorrow to get some protein in our diets."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Did you manage to find any fresh water while you were looking for food?"

"Yeah, there's a stream that runs through the jungle that we can get water from. We also found a pond and waterfall about a half-mile into the jungle."

"Okay, good. Thanks, Newton."

"No problem, Cullen."

I walked over to Emmett, who looked like he was finishing up on the shelter.

"How goes the construction business, Emmett?"

"Not bad. We got four huts built out of the debris that was on the beach. Rosalie weaved some mats for everyone to sleep on out of leaves, grass, and hay that we found in the jungle. They don't offer any privacy, but they'll have to do for now. Tomorrow I can head into the jungle and look for more materials to make some more huts, or things are going to get uncomfortable sharing 4 huts between about 30 people."

"Yeah, you're right. This will have to do for now."

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"How long do you think we're going to be here?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

I looked down at the ground as the reality of our situation set in. We could be trapped on this island forever if no one ever found us.

I walked back over to the fire and sat down on the log next to Bella.

She looked over at me and smiled.

"So we all need to figure out the sleeping arrangements tonight. We're going to have to fit about 7-8 people per hut for tonight" I said to Jasper. "What do you think, me, you, Emmett, Rosalie, and the Brandon sisters in one, and then let everyone else figure out who's in what hut?"

"As long as Emmett and Newton aren't in the same hut, we're all good" Jasper remarked, laughing.

"Ha ha. Good point."

After everyone had eaten, I stood up and addressed the survivors.

"Okay, everyone. We need to figure out sleeping arrangements for tonight. We only have four shelters right now, so that means that 6-8 people are going to have to share one hut. This is only temporary. We should have more huts built tomorrow, but for tonight, we all need to share."

I heard everyone talking to each other as I addressed them.

I continued. "I guess the best thing would be for people to just go into a hut, claim a mat, and to sleep. Tomorrow, we should try catching some fish and gather more food."

I stepped down and went over to Emmett and Jasper. "I guess we should all get to sleep soon. I don't know what kind of things live on this island, and I don't want to find out."

Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Cynthia, and I headed to the one hut and lay down to try to get some sleep.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at the opening. I sat up and saw Bella standing there, looking down at me.

"Do you mind if I sleep here tonight? I just can't be alone. I keep…seeing things when I close my eyes. Things I don't want to see." Her lip started trembling.

"Of course you can sleep here." I scooted over to make room for her.

She lay down on the spot next to me. I put my arm around her and she put her hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Go to sleep, Bella." Her head relaxed as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I watched her sleeping. She looked so peaceful and at ease. Looking at her, it was hard to tell she was suffering.

I would make her happy again, I promised myself. I would make her forget about Jacob so she could laugh and smile and be happy again.

After a while, my eyes started getting heavy, and I fell asleep too.

********

"_Dr. Cullen, what are you still doing here?" A sharp voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked over and saw Kate, my scrub nurse, standing in the doorway of Mr. Call's room. _

"_I'm just looking over Mr. Ateara's chart to see if there's something I missed," I mumbled._

"_Dr. Cullen, you've done everything you could do. You looked over his chart at least 50 times, analyzed his x-rays repeatedly, ran multiple tests, and consulted all of the other surgeons. There's nothing more you can do."_

"_I can't just sit here and watch him die. I'm a surgeon, dammit! I should be able to fix this!" I threw Mr. Ateara's chart on the ground in frustration._

"_Dr. Cullen, you should go home and get some rest, see your wife. She probably misses you. You've been living at the hospital for the past month. I think you've only been home 5 days out of the past 30." Kate smiled at me._

"_Yeah, you're right. Tanya is probably wondering when I'm going to be her husband again. Make sure you keep an eye on his vitals, and if anything changes, page me immediately."_

_I changed out of my scrubs and walked out to the parking lot. I got in my 2006 silver Volvo and drove home._

_Kate was right. I was becoming too involved in this case. I hadn't eaten or slept for 3 days. I hadn't seen Tanya in over a week, and hadn't spoken to her in 3 days._

_Ten minutes later, I pulled into my driveway next to Tanya's red Mercedes. She would be stunned to see me when I walked through the door._

_I walked in the house, expecting to see Tanya watching television in the living room or reading a book in her favorite chair in the den. _

_I walked through the first floor, searching for Tanya, but I couldn't find her anywhere._

_She was probably upstairs, napping. I went into the kitchen to grab something to eat before I went upstairs to see her._

_Suddenly, I heard a thud upstairs._

"_Tanya?" I called out. There was no answer, but I heard something crash._

_I sprinted up the stairs, looking for my wife._

_Our bedroom door was closed. I heard another thud behind the door, and then I heard Tanya shriek._

_I threw the door open and stopped dead in my tracks._

_There was Tanya, my wife, with her legs wrapped around another man. He had her pushed up against the wall._

_I saw Tanya's strewn all over the floor. She was laughing as she planted another kiss on the man she was fucking._

_Then I understood. She was screaming with pleasure, not pain._

_Tanya looked over at the door. "Edward?" She sounded shocked._

_I regained control of my body. I turned around, left the room, got into my car, and drove away._

_I got out my cell phone and called Emmett._

"_What do you want, bitch?"_

_I was shaking so hard, I could barely speak. "Em, could I stay with you tonight? I can't go home right now."_

"_Yo, Edward, what's wrong? You sound upset."_

"_I'll explain it when I get there." _

"_Okay man, I'll see you in a few." _

_I hung up and drove to Emmett's place._

_Once I got there, I recounted to Emmett exactly what I had seen when I walked into my bedroom._

"_Damn! What are you going to do, Eddy?"_

"_I don't know. I need to get away and think."_

"_Well, Whitlock is going to Japan next week to promote that shit flick he just did. I'm going with him because you know how hot Japanese chicks are. Why don't you come with us? Get away for a week and plan what you're going to do next now that your marriage is over."_

"_Alright, I'll come."_

"_It'll be fun."_

********

I opened my eyes and the first thing I realized was that I wasn't in my bed. My back was stiff and my neck was sore.

I looked next to me and saw Bella, still fast asleep, using my shoulder as a pillow.

Yesterday's events flooded through my mind: Japan…turbulence…plane crash…island.

I got up gently, trying not to wake Bella, and went out onto the beach.

I saw Emmett sitting on the beach with Rosalie, the two of them talking.

"Hey guys" I called over to them.

Emmett looked up and waved me over.

"So, what's going on?"

"Me and Rose were just talking. Most people are still sleeping. We were thinking that once more people are up, we'd probably take a group into the jungle to get some materials to start building people huts. And then another group should go in and search for anymore suitcases that fell in there."

"That's a good idea, Emmett."

"We also need to go fishing today. We still have some food left over from last night that people can eat this morning, but we're going to need more food, especially if we're going to be here for any length of time."

"Yeah."

The three of us sat there in silence. I had a feeling we were all wondering the same thing: how long we were going to be stuck on this island.

"Well, I'm going for a walk. Care to join me, Rose?"

She nodded, and Emmett and Rosalie headed into the jungle, hand in hand.

I sat on the one log around the fire pit, lost in my thoughts.

I was very confused.

I had started developing feelings for Bella, but I was still technically married. What was I going to do?

I was suddenly aware I wasn't alone anymore. I looked next to me and saw that Bella was now seated at my right.

"Good morning" she said.

"Morning."

We sat in silence, looking out into the distance.

We heard shouts coming from the jungle. Both of our eyes snapped to the edge of the jungle as Rose and Emmett came sprinting out of it.

"Edward!" Emmett was shouting. I noticed he was holding something in his hands.

"Emmett, what's wrong? What do you have there."

"Look what we found on the floor of the jungle." He held his hands out.

I looked at it, shocked. In his hands was a .22mm gun.

"Where the hell are we?"


	5. Chapter 4: Discoveries

Chapter 4: Discoveries

**Stephenie Meyer created Twilight. She rocks.**

**(AN: Check out the links in my profile for pictures of Seth's dogs)**

RPOV

"_So, Ms. Hale, what brings you in today?" Dr. Gerandy smiled as he looked at me, waiting for me to tell him why I was at the doctor's office._

"_Well, I think I broke my arm." I thrust my right arm out at him. It was bruised and I could barely move it._

"_How did you hurt it?"_

_Crap. Doctors always wanted to know how you got your injuries, but I couldn't tell him what really happened or he would call the cops. "I umm…tripped."_

"_You tripped?" He looked like he didn't believe me._

"_Yeah, last night. I was at home and I tripped over my shoes that were on the floor. I fell into the coffee table and hurt my arm. Is it broken?" I was desperately trying to change the subject._

_If he found out my fiancée, Royce, actually broke my arm, he would file a police report and that would just cause more problems for me._

"_No, I don't think it's broken. It might be fractured. Does this hurt?" He touched my arm._

_A stab of pain shot through my arm as soon as his fingers grazed my skin. "Oww!"_

_He chuckled. "I thought that might hurt. I'm going to have to put your arm in a cast."_

_I nodded._

_I sat there while Dr. Gerandy casted my arm._

_The door opened and an attractive guy walked in. He had bronze hair, a great body, and gorgeous green eyes. If I wasn't engaged, I totally would have gone for him._

"_Dr. Gerandy?" the new guy asked._

"_Yes, Dr. Cullen?"_

"_Carlisle wants to see you in his office."_

"_I'm with a patient, Edward."_

"_He said it's urgent."_

"_I'm with a patient!"_

"_He said for me to take over whatever you're doing and for you to go see him now."_

"_Fine." Dr. Gerandy got up and stormed out of the room._

"_Sorry about that," Dr. Cullen said to me. "Carlisle needed an opinion on a surgery, and Dr. Gerandy's an expert in that area. I'll finish putting this cast on your arm."_

_He finished in half the time it took Dr. Gerandy to start the cast. _

"_Alright, Ms. Hale, you're free to go. You'll have to come back in about 3 weeks so we can take the cast off. Try to stay out of trouble until then." He winked at me and left the room._

_I went out into the parking lot, got in my little BMW, and drove back to the house Royce and I shared._

_When I pulled in the driveway, I saw Royce's motorcycle parked in the driveway._

_I got out of my car and walked in the house._

_Royce was sitting in his chair, waiting for me._

"_Where were you?" he asked._

"_I had to go to the hospital. I fractured my arm. They had to put a cast on it."_

"_How did you fracture your arm?" he asked. He probably didn't remember what had happened last night._

"_I fell yesterday, remember?" That was a lie. Royce had come home, drunk, last night. He was always irritable when he was drunk._

_I had asked him if he could hand me my book, which was sitting next to him, when he snapped. _

_He flew into a rage. Grabbed my arm, and threw me into the coffee table, snapping in half. I landed on my arm, fracturing it._

"_Oh, baby, are you okay?" He pulled me into a hug and planted a kiss on top of my head._

"_I'm fine." This wasn't an uncommon thing. Royce came home drunk almost every night. Tonight he would go out with his friends, get shitfaced, and then come home._

_I would have to be careful not to say anything to upset him, or I would be back at the hospital again tomorrow._

_If anyone knew what was going on, they would tell me to leave Royce._

_But I couldn't just leave him. Royce was part of the wealthiest family in California. Once I married him, I would never have to worry about anything again._

_Once I married him, his money would be mine._

_Maybe then I could get enough money to leave him for good._

_As Royce held me in his arms, I made myself a promise. I would get away from Royce if it was the last thing I ever did. _

********

Emmett and I were sitting on a log in the fire pit early in the morning.

I really liked Emmett. He was kind, sweet, and exactly the kind of person someone like me needed.

He didn't put up with any of my bullshit. He called me out on it.

He wouldn't listen to me bitch, either.

I found that out last night.

I was pissed about having to sleep on the ground. I was used to king-sized beds in a mansion, and now I was being forced to sleep on a mat made of leaves on a beach inside of a hut made out of the wing of an airplane.

"There's no fucking way I'm sleeping here. Why don't we go back to where the plane is and get some of the seat cushions to make a bed out of?"

"Sure, princess. Go right ahead. In case you haven't noticed, it's night. You can't see where the hell you're going, and you'll probably get eaten by something in the water. Me? I'm fine roughing it on these comfy mats in these sturdy huts."

I glared at him. Who did he think he was? I made out with him on the plane, and now he was mocking me? "Fine! I sleep on the mat tonight, but tomorrow, you're going back to the plane and getting me some seat cushions to sleep on."

I laid down on the mat next to Emmett and fell asleep.

When I woke up this morning, I found Emmett's arms wrapped around me and his head on my shoulder. I pushed him off me, waking him up.

I walked out of the hut and sat on the log.

He joined me 2 minutes later.

"Thanks for the wakeup call back there," he said, yawning. "Tomorrow, though, I'd prefer if you'd set the alarm."

I grinned at him and gestured for him to sit next to me.

He sat down on the log and took my hand.

I didn't object. He hand was much bigger than mine, and it felt rough. Probably all blistered and calloused from playing football. It felt nice.

"Sorry for bitching last night" I said to him. "I'm just not used to roughing it. I live at the playboy mansion, and now you expect me to camp out on a beach on a crappy little island in the middle of the Pacific? It's enough to make any girl flip out."

"Listen to me, sweetheart. We're stuck here. We have no way to get off this fucking island. We have to deal with what we have, and you going around bitching about every little thing that isn't perfect isn't helping anything. Suck it up and deal with it."

I started at him, jaw dropped and wide eyed. No one had ever spoken to me like that.

I ripped my hand from his. "Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to talk to me like that?"

"Rosie, I know a lot more about you that you think I do. You're used to getting what you want. You think you have me wrapped around your little finger, but you don't. You need me more than I need you."

He was right. I did need him. I was never very good on my own. I always needed someone. That's why I stayed with Royce. I couldn't stand to be alone.

I sighed and took his hand again.

"Glad to see I'm forgiven. I'm sorry about what I said."

"No, you're right. I'm a spoiled brat who's used to getting her way. As long as I can remember, I've never had to work for anything. My parents were wealthy. I was married to a rich man. I dated Hugh Hefner and lived in the playboy mansion."

"Whoa, hold up: you were _married_?" He looked at me, shock in his eyes.

"Yeah, 3 years ago."

"What happened?"

"He died."

"Oh." He didn't ask anymore about it, and I was glad. It was too hard to talk about my marriage to Royce to anyone who wasn't involved in it.

We sat there, hand in hand, not talking.

I broke the silence. "Well, we should probably get more huts built today. We'll need to gather more food, and we can send out a search party to look for more suitcases."

"Good idea."

We stopped talking as we heard footsteps approaching. I turned my head and saw Edward emerging from the hut.

"Hey guys" he called over to us.

Emmett waved at him, and he joined us in the fire pit.

"So, what's going on?" he asked us.

Emmett answered him. "Me and Rose were just talking. Most people are still sleeping. We were thinking that once more people are up, we'd probably take a group into the jungle to get some materials to start building people huts. And then another group should go in and search for anymore suitcases that fell in there."

"That's a good idea, Emmett."

"We also need to go fishing today. We still have some food left over from last night that people can eat this morning, but we're going to need more food, especially if we're going to be here for any length of time."

"Yeah."

No one said anything. I wondered how long we were going to be stuck on this island. Maybe Edward and Emmett were thinking the same thing.

Emmett stood up. I looked up at him as he looked down at me.

"Well, I'm going for a walk. Care to join me, Rose?"

I nodded. I stood up and followed him. He grabbed my hand and we headed into the jungle.

We were walking when Emmett suddenly grabbed my waist and pushed me against a tree, his hot mouth on my lips.

I could feel the desire in him as he pushed his tongue into my mouth.

I didn't mind. Usually, it felt invasive when a guy tried to shove his tongue down your throat. With Emmett, it felt natural.

He picked me up, not breaking the kiss, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

He turned around and moved back a few steps when he suddenly fell over, bringing me down with him.

I laughed on top of him.

"Very graceful, Emmett." I rested my head on his chest.

"I didn't fall for no reason," he said defensively. "I tripped over something."

He reached his arm behind him, searching for the object that interrupted us.

I pushed my lips to his again and started pulling at his shirt. "Since we're already lying down…" I trailed off seductively.

I felt him freeze as my hands undid the first button of his shirt. "What? You can't say you don't want this." I was annoyed. Emmett was making himself perfectly clear that he wanted me, but now he was getting cold feet. Men were so confusing.

"It's not that" Emmett choked out.

He brought his hand from behind his back and showed me the object he had tripped over.

It was a gun.

What was a gun doing on the floor of a jungle on an uncharted island?

An island that wasn't inhabited by people.

"Oh my god" I whispered.

"We have to get back to the beach." Emmett stood up and started walking back to camp.

I stayed sitting on the jungle floor, unable to move.

"C'mon Rose!" Emmett grabbed my hand and pulled me up. We both headed back to the beach.

When we got back to the beach, I noticed the brown haired girl who shared the hut with us last night was sitting next to Edward.

They were sitting in the fire pit, not saying anything, not looking at each other.

When they heard us approaching, both pairs of eyes found us.

"Edward!" Emmett shouted. We had to show him what we found. Maybe he would have an explanation for why a random handgun was on the floor of the jungle on a deserted island.

"Emmett, what's wrong? What do you have there?" he asked, noticing the gun in Emmett's hand.

"Look what we found on the jungle floor."

Emmett showed him the gun.

Edward looked at it, shocked.

"Where the hell are we?"

We all looked at each other, unable to answer Edward's question.

No one said anything for a minute.

"Edward, do _you_ have any idea why a gun was just lying on the bottom of the floor of a jungle on a deserted island?" I asked him, breaking the silence.

"Well, the only explanation I can think of is that it was on the plane and fell out. If that's not it, then I don't know."

"Well," Emmett broke in, "We now have a hunting weapon!"

I looked at him and broke down laughing when I saw the huge grin on his face.

Edward and the brown haired girl started laughing too.

"This is Bella. Bella, this is Emmett and Rosalie."

"It's nice to meet you," Bella said politely.

She looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen her.

Maybe I was just imagining things.

********

Later that day, Emmett and I, with the help of a group of people, had collected a bunch of materials and managed to build a bunch of huts.

These offered more privacy than the crappy ones we had hurriedly built yesterday. There were also more of them, so we wouldn't have to squeeze eight people into one.

It also meant Emmett and I could have some alone time tonight in our ocean front shack.

I smiled at that thought.

All day we worked on building the huts.

Edward led a group on a fishing expedition, while the other football player Emmett always fought with led another group into the jungle to search for more missing suitcases.

The search group returned after a couple hours, each of them carrying a few suitcases.

I spotted my pink Louis Vuitton suitcase with the playboy bunny on it.

Hef had had them specially made for all the girls who lived in the mansion.

I ran to the girl carrying my suitcase and grabbed it from her.

"Hey! These are for everyone so we can use shampoo, toothbrushes, and have clothes." She had dark skin and long black hair that reached her waist.

"Well, this is _my_ suitcase, and I need some things from it." Like my birth control pills.

She glared at me, and then spun around, hitting me in the face with her hair, and walked away, putting the rest of the suitcases in a pile.

"Don't take it personally. Leah can be a bitch sometimes."

I looked around and saw a tall teenage boy standing next to me. He had the same dark skin as the girl I just spoke with. He was tall, gangly, and had short black hair. He was smiling at me.

"It's fine. I was just so happy to see that they found my suitcase. It was specially made, you know." I smiled at him again.

"Hey, I know who you are! You're Rosalie Hale, the model." His eyes popped wide open as recognition hit him.

"Aren't you a little young to be looking at my photo spreads?" He couldn't be older than 16, and it didn't make me happy that the teenage boy who I was talking to knew what I looked like naked.

His face turned red. "I'm 15 and a half."

I smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Well, what's your name?"

"I'm Seth Clearwater. Leah's my older sister."

"Well, where are your parents? You two couldn't have been traveling by yourselves?" What parents would let two teenage children travel from Japan to LA by themselves?

"They were in the tail section of the plane." He looked at the ground as he said this.

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault."

We just looked at each other and didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Well, I should probably go help Leah or she'll take out her frustration on some other survivor. Maybe we can talk again later?" He sounded hopeful. It was probably every teenage boy's dream to be friends with a playboy model.

"Sure, Seth. Well, go help your sister."

I walked over to Emmett and slapped his ass as he bent over to pick something up off the ground.

"Hey sexy. So I was thinking. Later tonight, we'll have a shack all to ourselves, and I was hoping we could continue where we left off this morning…" I trailed off, hoping he caught on.

His eyes lit up and he bent over and whispered in my ear, "If you think you can handle it. I _am_ a football player."

I smacked his arm and he pulled me into his arms.

I rested my head against his chest and realized that I finally felt safe for once in my life.

********

_I heard the door slam shut and someone stumbling around the living room._

_Royce._

_I sat up in bed and glanced at the clock._

_3 am._

_I got out of bed and put on my slippers._

_I headed downstairs to help my drunken husband up the stairs and into bed._

"_Royce?" I called out into the dark room. There was no answer._

_I walked into the kitchen and saw him standing by the table, swaying._

"_Royce?"_

"_Dammit, Rose, I told you not to bother me when I'm working!" he snapped at me._

_Great. He was the angry drunk tonight. This would probably end with another trip to the hospital._

_I timidly walked over to him and put my hand on his arm._

_Quick as lightning, he grabbed my arm and threw me against the wall._

_I felt the mirror hanging on the wall fall on my head and break._

_I felt something cut into my cheek and felt something warm trickle down my face._

_He walked back over to me and picked me up by the fabric of my nightgown._

"_Now, will you leave me the hell alone!" he roared in my face._

_I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I nodded._

_He threw me on the ground and stared down at me._

_I saw him sway again, and then he fell over, passed out._

_I felt a stabbing pain in my wrist._

_Great. It was probably broken._

_I got up and went to the bathroom to check the damage._

_There was a huge gash on my cheek, but other than that and my wrist, there wasn't much damage._

_I cleaned myself off and got back in bed._

_The next day, after Royce had left for work, I put on my wrist brace the doctor had given me last time Royce snapped my wrist and cleaned the kitchen._

_I didn't know how much more of this I could take._

_If I didn't get out soon, Royce was going to end up killing me one night._

_I couldn't just leave either._

_Royce wasn't a calm man when he was sober, and If I left, he would hunt me down and kill me._

_I sat in the kitchen, thinking of a way to escape._

_The only way I would be able to get away would be to find a way that Royce would never be able to some after me._

_The only way he wouldn't be able to some after me is if he was dead._

_I would have to kill him._

_I thought about it: could I really kill my husband._

_Memories passed through my head: Royce smashing my face into the wall, Royce snapping the bones in my arm, Royce pushing me out the window._

_I would have to kill Royce._

_A week later, everything was ready._

_I had ordered some potassium cyanide online and it had arrived yesterday._

_I prepared dinner, knowing it would be Royce's last meal._

_I took the white powder and dissolved it in Royce's wine._

_I also sprinkled it over his steak and the rest of his food._

_It would be quick: he would be dead within 10 minutes._

_Royce got home and greeted me with a kiss._

"_Hey baby," he said._

"_Hi, honey. Are you hungry?"_

"_Starved. What's for dinner?"_

"_Well, I made steak and potatoes with green beans. I picked up a bottle of merlot at the store today. We both made our way to the table and sat down._

_Royce started eating immediately._

_I just sat and watched, waiting for the poison to take effect._

_After 5 minutes, he stopped eating and looked at me._

"_Is something wrong, baby?" I asked him innocently._

"_I'm just feeling a little dizzy," he huffed. He sounded like he was having problems breathing too._

"_Why don't you go lie down on the couch?" I suggested._

_Royce started walking over to the couch when he collapsed on the floor and started convulsing._

_I stayed in my chair and did nothing._

_5 minutes later, Royce stopped moving._

_I walked over to him and saw he had stopped breathing._

_I cleaned up the table and did the dishes._

_I then wiped down the table to clear away and fingerprints._

_I pulled out the note I had written this morning, saying I was leaving Royce, and left it on the table._

_I went upstairs, grabbed my suitcases, and put them in my car._

_I got in the car, drove away, and never looked back._

********

"Wow, that fish was pretty good, Edward."

All the survivors were sitting around the fire pit, finishing our meal.

Edward and a group had gone fishing, and caught a bunch.

Edward was apparently a great cook, so he filleted the fish for us.

I had never had better fish in my life, and I was used to eating at five-star restaurants every week.

I was sitting next to Emmett, his arm wrapped around my waist.

On my other side was Seth Clearwater.

He was full of energy. The entire time he was sitting next to me, he never stopped talking.

I learned he lived in Washington.

He and his family were in Japan on his spring break because they had never been to Asia.

He had two wolf dogs at home. They were male Saarlooswolfhond's named Billy and Harry.

He was a freshman in high school.

He didn't have a girlfriend, but he had a crush on a girl named Vanessa.

He was on his school's baseball team and played first base.

He played the drums, but it drove his sister crazy.

He and his two best friends, Paul and Jared, were planning to start a band together.

He was terrified of clowns and knives.

He had a secret stash of Playboy magazine's hidden in his room. (His favorite issue was mu Playmate of the Year issue.)

He was telling me about his dogs when his sister, Leah, walked over to us.

"Seth, come sit with me on the other side." She shot me a dirty look.

"Sure, sure. I'll see you later, Rosalie."

"Bye Seth."

Emmett and I watched the two of them walk away.

"He's a sweet kid," Emmett remarked.

"He really is."

"I don't know how I feel about the fact that he knows what you look like naked but I don't."

"Oh, _please_, Emmett. I know you know what I look like naked. You've seen my spreads."

"True, but I've never seen you naked in real life." He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I laughed. "Well, who said I was going to let you see me naked." I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

He pulled me into another bone-crushing hug.

I looked over to my side and saw that Seth's seat had been filled by a man I hadn't met yet.

"Hi, I'm Rosalie."

"Felix."

"This is Emmett," I said, nudging Emmett in the ribs with my elbow. "It's nice to meet you, Felix."

"Likewise."

Felix was tall with curly brown hair. He was built, but not over muscular like Emmett was.

He was staring at me with his blue eyes with an intensity that made me feel self-conscious.

There was something about him that didn't seem right. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he scared me.

That was ridiculous. I didn't even know him. Why should I be scared of him?

Felix stopped looking at me and turned his attention to Edward and Bella, who were sitting on the opposite side of the fire pit.

Edward had his arm around Bella's waist, and they were talking to each other.

I looked around and spotted Jasper Whitlock, sitting in between Alice and Cynthia Brandon.

He had his arm around Alice's wait and his other arm draped over Cynthia's shoulders.

I wonder if he remembered me.

I'd met him twice, both times at parties at the mansion.

We hooked up last time.

If he did remember, I really hope he wouldn't bring it up. That would just make things awkward between Emmett and me.

"So, Rose," Emmett began. "I don't really know that much about you. Why don't you tell me some things about yourself?"

I looked at him, stunned.

"You actually _want_ to know about my life?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're beautiful, I made out with you, and I plan to go farther later. I believe it would be customary to know a few things about the girl you're sleeping with." He winked at me.

"Well, my past experiences have shown me that guys usually just want to fuck you and forget you."

Emmett let out a roaring laugh. "Oh, Rosie, you are too funny!"

"Well, I'm Rosalie Hale, 24 years old, blonde, 5 foot 7 inches, Playboy model, Hugh Hefner's girlfriend…" I trailed off.

"I already knew all those things. Tell me something I _don't _know. Something _nobody _knows."

"Okay, I like to restore cars in my free time. I'm working on a 1967 Mustang GT 500. I also own almost every issue of _Batman_ and _Superman_ comic books. I'm just missing issue #245 of _Batman_ and issue #365 _Superman. _I'm also the top scorer in _Medal of Honor._"

Emmett's jaw dropped as I was talking.

"What?"

"I think I've found my soul mate. Rosie, you realize you're the perfect girl for every man alive, right?"

"No I'm not."

"I'm serious. I've never met another girl who restores vintage cars, collects comic books, and is good at video games. You're like, the perfect woman." He kept looking at me as if I was some kind of goddess.

"Well, I have 5 older brothers, so I guess their interests rubbed off on me." I smiled. "Okay, it's your turn now. Tell me something about you that no one knows."

He thought for a minute. "Well, I'm a huge movie buff."

"So?"

"So give me a line from a movie and I can tell you what movie it's from, the year it was made, and who starred in it."

"You're lying."

"Try me."

I thought for a moment. "Come play with us, Danny."

"_The Shining_, 1980, Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Try and give me something hard, please."

"That was easy, you're right." I thought again. "Wait, wait, wait, I just thought of something so cool. What if we got into a wreck and we crashed into a car in front of us and we all died. They could write a song about it!" He'd never get…

"_The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, _1994, Renee Zellwegar and Matthew McConahughey." He smiled triumphantly. "I'm surprised you knew a quote from that movie."

"Like I said, I have 5 older brothers. They're favorite hobby was scaring me. I've seen most horror films, and that was one of the ones I actually liked."

"You _liked_ the fourth Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie?"

"It was funny!"

He laughed and shook his head. "You really are my soul mate, Rose."

I leaned against his shoulder and relaxed.

Suddenly, we saw Bella stand up, slap some guy's face, and stomp off to the beach.

"What was that about?" I asked Emmett.

"No clue, but I wouldn't worry about it. It looks like Edward's got her." We saw Edward get up and go after Bella.

"Weird."

People started getting up and going off to their huts to sleep.

"C'mon, Rosie. Let's go." Emmett grabbed my hand and we walked over to our shack.

We both got in and closed the door.

Before I could look around, Emmet's mouth was on mine.

His arms were wrapped around my body, and his hands were running up and down my back.

He moved his mouth from my lips to my neck.

I started pulling at his shirt.

Seeing what I wanted, he threw off his shirt. While he was doing that, I started on his pants. When I got them unbuttoned, I pulled them down and he kicked them off.

Emmett then pulled my shirt off while I unbuttoned my jeans and took them off.

Emmett reached out and grabbed my breasts, and I had to bite my lip from screaming out in delight.

His hands were so warm and big. They felt so nice.

I pushed my body into his, and felt him go hard against me.

I pulled down his boxers as he undid the clasp on my bra.

We didn't have to worry about my underwear since I wasn't wearing any.

Emmett picked me up and laid me on the ground.

He kneeled over me, teasing me.

He licked my breast and slipped his hands down my waist and in between my legs.

I whimpered with anticipation, and he just smiled.

I felt his fingers graze my wet pussy, when he suddenly stuck two inside of me.

My hips arched up involuntarily while Emmett stroked the inside of me.

He pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his cock.

He kept pushing into me, harder and harder.

"Oh god, Emmett. I'm gonna, I'm gonna…"

And then he came at the same time as me.

He pulled out of me and laid next to me on the ground.

I reached next to me and grabbed his shirt, pulling it on.

I rested my head on his chest and wrapped my arm around his waist while he put his arm around my shoulders.

We both laid on the ground as we drifted off into a deep sleep.

Everything was so perfect.

As I fell asleep, I remember Royce.

I would have to tell Emmett about him and what I had done.

I just hoped he would still look at me the way he did now when he found out I was a murderer.

**Sorry this one was so long. And I promise to tell you more about Rosalie's back story, but in a later chapter. Next time, we'll find out why Bella slapped that guy at the beach.**


	6. Chapter 5: Taken

Chapter 5: Taken

**(AN: The link to Don McLean's "American Pie" is in my profile. Listen to it if you've never heard it before!)**

BPOV

"_Crap."_

"_What's wrong?" Jessica asked, looking at me._

_I handed her the stick in my hand. She looked at it._

"_Crap," she said._

"_Exactly."_

"_What are you going to do?" she asked, handing me back the stick._

"_I have no clue. All I know is Charlie is going to kill me when I tell him."_

"_Bella how did this even happen?"_

"_Do you remember Tyler?"_

"_17-year-old Tyler with the pickup truck who took you to prom?"_

"_Yep, that Tyler."_

"_What about him?"_

_How could Jessica not understand what I was telling her?_

"_I went out with him again 3 weeks ago and…we had a repeat performance."_

"_What?!? Why didn't you tell me this?"_

"_It wasn't a big deal. Anyways, he didn't wrap it. He just…pulled out. And now…" I looked down at the little pink plus sign on the pregnancy test._

"_Crap," Jessica repeated._

"_Fuck, Bella, what are you going to do? You're only 14!" _

_I started to cry. "I guess I'm white trash like everyone says. Knocked up at 14. Fuck!"_

_Jessica sat on my bed next to me and put her arm around my shoulders. _

"_I can't be a mom. I'm not even a sophomore!"_

"_What about…ending it?" Jessica said quietly._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_There's a clinic on Wilson Avenue. It's a quick procedure. You're in and out in an hour. Your dad would never know."_

"_I can't do that, Jess. That's like, murder or something. Fuck! What am I going to do?" I fell back on my bed and threw my hands over my eyes._

"_There's always adoption. You know, for people who can't, like, have kids and all. You can like call these places and they'll give you like couples who actually want a baby. Why anyone would want a kid is beyond me."_

"_Yeah. Well, let's call up this center or whatever and find someone to give this kid to."_

_Jess grabbed the phonebook from the cabinet and found the number for the adoption center. We dialed the number._

"_Hello, thank you for calling the It's About Love adoption center. This is Gianna speaking, how can I help you?"_

"_Umm, yeah. I was wondering how you do this whole give up a kid for adoption thing."_

"_Well, you would come down to our office and we look over potential adoptive parents with you. You would get to meet the families and pick one who you would want to give your unborn child to. Then, we draw up an adoption agreement. We help you through every step of the way."_

"_How do I set up a meeting or appointment or something?"_

"_I can do that over the phone. Is next Tuesday at noon okay?"_

"_Umm yeah, that works."_

"_And your name?"_

"_Isabella Swan."_

"_Well, Isabella, we'll see you Tuesday."_

"_Thanks." I hung up the phone._

"_How are you going to get to this agency? You can't drive." _

"_Maybe I can get Tyler to take me. After all, this is his responsibility too."_

"_Good luck with that. I heard he got some girl on the Makah reservation pregnant, and he dropkicked her ass to the curb as soon as she told him. He didn't help her at all, so her parents had to do everything for her."_

"_Great. Well, I might as well call him."_

_I dialed Tyler's number. He picked up on the third ring._

"_Yo."_

"_Tyler? It's Bella."_

"_Oh, hey Bells. What's up?"_

"_I need to talk to you. Could you come over now? It's kind of important."_

"_Sure. I'll be right there."_

_Jessica and I sat in my trailer, waiting for Tyler to get there._

_We head his truck approaching 5 minutes later. Jessica went to get the door for Tyler._

_He came in and sat at the kitchen table, facing us._

"_What's up?"_

"_We have a problem."_

"_Okay…" He trailed off, unsure of where the conversation was going._

"_Do you remember when we went out about a month ago?"_

_He smiled. "Yeah I do."_

"_Do you remember what happened in the backseat of your car?"_

"_Fuck yes."_

"_Congratulations, Tyler, you're a daddy!" Jessica broke in._

"_WHAT?"_

"_Bella's pregnant, and you're the dad."_

"_No fucking way. It can't be mine. You're just a fucking whore. It's probably some other guy you're screwing. Don't try and pin this on me." He got up. "I'm out of here."_

_He stormed out of the trailer, slamming the door behind him._

"_Well, that went well," Jessica remarked._

_We sat there for an hour, unsure of what to do next._

"_Your dad's home. What are you going to do now?"_

"_I guess it's time to tell Charlie he's a grandfather now."_

_Charlie walked in the door and saw Jessica and me sitting on my bed._

"_Hey girls. What's up?"_

"_Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked him, looking at the ground._

"_Sure, Bells." He sat down at the table and I walked over, not sure how to proceed._

"_So, Dad, I have some news for you."_

"_Good news or bad news?" he asked._

"_Depends on how you look at it. Congratulations, you're a grandfather."_

_Charlie's face turned white, then red. Crap._

"_You're pregnant?" He spat through his teeth._

"_Sorry." I was too ashamed to look him in the eyes._

"_Who's the lucky boy who knocked my 14-year-old daughter up?"_

"_Tyler Crowley," I whispered._

"_Why isn't the proud papa here to help you break the news?"_

"_He was busy."_

"_Busy being an asshole," Jessica whispered under her breath._

"_Are you gonna keep this kid?" Charlie asked._

"_No. We called some center in Port Angeles and we have a meeting on Tuesday to pick a family to pawn off my mistake to."_

"_Oh."_

"_Can you give me a ride on Tuesday?"_

"_Sure. I am so disappointed in you, Isabella. I thought you were better than this." He turned around and walked to the bathroom._

"_Me too, Charlie. Me too." I pulled my knees to my chest and started crying again._

********

"Fish?" Edward handed me a leaf with a filet of fish on it.

"Thanks." I picked the fish up with my hands and took a big bite out of it. "Hey, this is pretty good."

"I spent most of my childhood in the kitchen with our chef. He taught me how to make almost any dish."

"Well, it's very good for the amount of ingredients you have available."

Edward grabbed a piece of fish and sat next to me. I looked across the fire and saw Emmett and Rosalie sitting next to each other. Emmett had his arm around Rosalie and was eating. Rosalie was talking to some kid next to her.

I looked around and spotted Jasper with Alice and Cynthia. They were all eating. Jasper said something that made Alice and Cynthia break into giggles.

Edward said something, but I didn't hear him.

"Hello? Bella?"

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked how you were holding up."

"I'm doing better, thanks." It was true. Whenever I was with Edward, I tended to forget about Jacob and everything else that had happened.

I always felt guilty afterwards. Jacob had been my whole life for 4 years, and now I wasn't mourning over him when he had died 2 days ago.

I was trying to fight my growing attraction to Edward at the same time.

Edward always said the right thing to make me smile or laugh. He helped me stop crying and forget about Jacob.

I felt like a horrible person.

I looked up and noticed a boy sitting across the fire staring at me.

I smiled at him and turned back to Edward.

"So, tell me about you. All I know is you're from California, you're friends with Jasper Whitlock and you saved my life on the plane."

He laughed. "Well, I only met Jasper through Emmett."

"Emmett?"

"Yeah, he's my big brother. He and Jasper met at some party in LA and then I started hanging out with them. We've been inseparable since then.

"I'm a surgeon doing my residency at a hospital in Los Angeles. I haven't specialized, but I'm thinking of going into cardiothoracics."

"What's cardiothor—what's that?

"The heart. The human heart has always fascinated me." He turned his piercing green eyes on me.

Maybe I was imagining things, but I thought I detected a double meaning in his words.

"Anyways, I've lived in California my whole life. I grew up in Beverly Hills. I decided to follow my dad's footsteps and go to medical school after I graduated from Berkley. I'm a resident at the hospital my dad works at."

"You said Emmett's your brother. Do you have any other siblings?"

"No, it's just me and Emmett. Carlisle and Esme only wanted two kids."

"Do you have any other family?"

"No." He looked down, like he was hiding something. Maybe I was imagining things.

"So, what else do you do?"

"I like music. I play piano in my free time."

"You know how to play the piano?"

"Since I was 7. My parents made me take piano lessons and let Emmett play football." He laughed.

"Interesting."

"So, tell me about you."

Great. Here was this rich doctor who lived an extremely privileged life. When I told him about me, he would laugh.

"You don't want to hear about my life."

"Sure I do. It's only fair. I told you all about me, now it's your turn."

I sighed. "Okay. I'm from Forks, Washington. It's a small town by some of the Indian reservations. My dad is a cop there. I lived with my mom in Phoenix until I was five, but then she was killed in a car crash, so the state sent me to live with Charlie.

"I grew up in a trailer park there, and got out as soon as I could. I moved to Seattle when I was 17 and started working as a waitress at a club." I failed to mention that it was a stripper club.

"Why did you want to leave your home?" He seemed really interested in my life story for some reason.

"There were too many painful memories I wanted to leave behind." Like my rape. And pregnancy.

"Like what?" Geez, why did he even care?

"Everyone there knew about all my skeletons. If I went to a new town, I could start over. A clean slate.

"So I worked as a waitress at this club for about 2 ½ years. Jacob came to the club after it had closed one night while me and a few coworkers were still there, hanging out." Striptease lessons were too complicated to explain.

"We started talking, and 6 months later, we were dating. A year later, I moved in with him and we were engaged 2 years later. We were in Japan doing something with his company, and were coming home when the plane crashed." I looked down, unable to continue.

"What club did you work at?"

"You wouldn't know it. My guess is rich doctors from LA don't usually fly to Seattle to go clubbing."

"Stop judging me. Anyways, Emmett is a party animal and usually brings me along for the ride. We've gone clubbing everywhere. Just tell me the name."

Crap. As soon as I told him the same, he would know it was a strip joint. And he would assume, like everyone else, that I was a stripper.

"It was called…Lusty Lady."

"You worked at a strip club?"

"As a waitress. I wasn't a stripper." Not that anyone ever believed me.

"I never said you were."

The guy sitting next to me turned towards me and Edward. "Oh my god, I know you! You're the Seattle Slut! The gold digger who landed to rich beer guy for his money."

"I am _not_ a stripper! And I am _not_ a gold digger!"

"No, I remember reading all about it. They called you a lazy slut who was looking for some rich sugar daddy to take care of her. Nice work. Moving from Jacob Black to a wealthy doctor. You really _are _a gold digger."

Something inside of me snapped. I got up, slapped the guy across the face, and walked away, to mad to say anything.

I went and sat down on the beach, facing the ocean.

I heard someone approaching, and then Edward sat down next to me.

I didn't know what to say.

"Wow," was all he said. "Just…wow."

"I'm sick of people judging me. If you thought I was going to sit there and let that guy call me a whore who was looking for a rich husband…" I was breathing hard and couldn't finish my sentence.

"No, it's just that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

We sat there in silence, looking out at the ocean.

"I'm not trying to make you mad, but I have a question for you," he began.

I sighed. I had a feeling I knew what he was going to ask. "Go ahead."

"What was that guy talking about? About you being 'The Seattle Stripper?'"

"You caught that, huh?"

"It was kind of hard to miss."

"It's just so…stupid. After Jacob and I went public with our relationship, all the reporters started digging. It was big news in Washington. Jacob was this wealthy beer heir and he starts dating this girl no one has ever heard of.

"They eventually found out where I worked and assumed I was a stripper. They followed me home to Charlie's one day and saw I was from a trailer park. They came up with a real classy name for me, and everyone believed I was this gold digging tramp, trying to steal Jacob's money.

"It wasn't true. People who knew me didn't believe it, but I had to deal with a lot of hate mail and threatening phone calls. It was awful. When that guy brought it back up, it brought back the memories of all the scrutiny I had to endure, and I guess I just snapped. I shouldn't have slapped him"

"He was an ass. He was just judging you without getting to know you. Just let me know if he says anything like that to you again. Emmett and I will have a talk with him." He looked menacingly back at the fire pit.

"Thanks, Edward, but I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl. I tie my own shoes."

We heard someone else approaching and looked over.

The guy who had been staring at me was coming over to join us.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to see if everything was okay. I saw you slap that guy, and you looked pretty upset."

"Thanks, but I'm fine. I guess I just lost my temper back there."

"I'm Felix, by the way."

"Bella. And this is Edward."

"Mind if I join you guys?"

"Sure."

Felix sat down on my other side. It looked like Edward wasn't too happy about the new addition to our group, but Felix seemed nice.

"So, what brought you guys here?" he asked, gesturing to the island.

"Well, I was in Japan with my fiancée on a business trip for him."

"This is your fiancée?" Felix asked, looking at Edward.

"No. He died in the crash."

"Oh. I'm very sorry."

"Yeah."

"I was in Japan with my brother and a friend, helping him promote his new crappy movie."

"Your brother's an actor?"

"No, Jasper is."

"Oh."

"What about you?" I asked Felix. "Why were you in Japan?"

"Traveling. I took a year off of my job so I could travel the world. Unfortunately, instead of seeing the world, I get to see this island."

The three of us sat there in silence.

"Well, we should probably get to bed. It looks like everyone else is asleep," Edward said, breaking the silence.

I looked behind me. The fire pit was empty.

"You're right. It was nice talking to you Felix."

"Maybe we could hang out tomorrow? I would love to learn more about you, Bella."

"Yeah. Sure."

The three of us got up and headed to our huts. Edward and I shared one, but only because I was too chicken to sleep by myself.

I lay down next to him and drifted off to sleep, trying to forget the past.

********

"_Everyone is staring at me!" I complained to Jessica._

"_No they're not."_

"_Yes, they are. It's because I look like a small country now."_

_I hated school these days. Apart from the fat jokes and slut comments, everyone stared at me._

_I was 8 ½ months pregnant._

_At least it would all be over soon._

_I really liked the adoptive parents I picked for the kid._

_They were a couple from Port Angeles who couldn't be nicer._

_It must be weird, having a 14-year-old girl giving birth to your baby, but Sasha and David were cool about the whole thing._

_They already had kids, but they wanted another one._

_They had three daughters who were about my age, but they wanted another kid._

_Sasha had had her tubes tied years before, so they were looking into adoption._

_Tanya, Kate, and Irina were all really nice._

_They liked feeling my stomach whenever I was over at their place._

"_Are you scared?" Kate would always ask. "Are you afraid it's going to hurt?"_

"_A little." _

_I liked Kate. She was 3 months older than me, but had been really nice to me. It must be strange, seeing a girl your age pregnant with your future sibling._

_Irina, who was only 11, seemed afraid of me. Probably because I was the size of Jupiter._

_Tanya, who was 16, pitied me. _

"_You poor thing, this must be awful for you. I would absolutely die if I looked that big," she would say._

"_Whatever." I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of letting her know that was exactly how I felt._

_After school, Jessica and I walked back to her house._

_Charlie didn't like me being alone in the trailer anymore._

_I couldn't blame him. He left me alone a lot, and I got knocked up._

_Although, the supervision now wasn't exactly necessary. I was already pregnant. What more trouble could I get into?_

"_Oww!" I bent over, clutching my extremely large stomach. I had just felt a sharp pain in my side._

"_What's wrong?" Jessica was at my side instantly, holding my shoulders._

"_The baby's just…kicking," I gasped._

_Another sharp pain hit me. This wasn't kicking._

"_Jess—I think—the baby's—coming." As if to confirm my statement, a liquid started trickling down my leg._

"_Bell, your water just broke!"_

"_Jess, just get me to your house. We need to call an ambulance." _

_Jessica helped me to her house. Luckily, it was only a few houses away. As soon as we walked in the door, Mrs. Stanley came over to help us._

"_We need to call an ambulance, mom!"_

"_No, no. Let's get her into the car and I'll drive her to the hospital. Bella, do you have your hospital bag?"_

"_No, it's back at my place." Why didn't I just carry my shit with me instead of leaving it under my bed at home? I was an idiot._

"_It's okay, sweetie. I'll just call Charlie and tell him to bring it when he comes to the hospital."_

_Jessica helped me into the car. Mrs. Stanley got in the driver's seat and speed off toward the hospital._

"_Jess, can you call the Denali's and let them know my water broke? Sasha and David wanted to know so they could be there for the birth."_

_Jess pulled out my phone and called them. "Hi, Mrs. Denali? This is Jessica, Bella's friend. We just wanted to let you know her water broke and we're going to the hospital now. I'll call you when they give Bella a room. Bye."_

_Jess hung up the phone and put it back in my backpack._

"_She's going to go pick up Tanya, Kate, and Irina, and then they're going to drive to the hospital. Try to keep that little sucker in there until they arrive. They'd be devastated if they didn't see the birth."_

"_This isn't exactly something I can control, Jess. If it was, I would have waited until I was home for my water to break, not walking down the street._

"_True."_

_We arrived at the hospital in record time. They put me in a wheelchair and brought me to a room in the maternity ward. _

_Half an hour later, the Denali's arrived. The contractions were really painful._

_3 hours later, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. I didn't want to hold the kid. It looked all weird covered in blood. I let Sasha take him._

"_Thank you, Bella. You don't know how much this means to us."_

"_Just promise you'll give him a good life."_

"_We will."_

_After the nurse took the baby, the Denali's left to go watch the baby sleep._

_I fell asleep, happy it was all finally over_

********

I woke up the next morning, wrapped in Edward's arms.

I was confused. I distinctly remembered falling asleep on my own mat, but now I was sharing one with Edward.

How was I going to keep fighting my growing feelings for him if we were sleeping in each other's arms?

I got up quietly, gently pulling his arms away from my body.

I walked out to the beach and saw Jasper and Alice sitting under a tree, talking.

Emmett and Rosalie were sitting on the beach by the ocean, hand in hand.

It was nice they were able to find something good out of this whole mess.

I saw Felix sitting on a log by the fire pit by himself.

I walked over to him.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure."

I sat down next to him and buried my feet in the sand.

"Did you have a nice night?" he asked me.

"It was okay. It was…quiet. I was actually able to dream."

"What did you dream about?"

"Just…memories from long ago."

"Oh."

We sat there, not saying anything. He understood I wasn't telling him the whole truth about myself, just like I understood he was keeping secrets too.

An hour later, Edward woke up and joined us on the beach.

Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Cynthia, Felix, Edward and I went on an adventure into the jungle to find the pond Newton and the others had found a few days ago.

When we arrived, Rosalie pulled the shampoo from her suitcase out of the bag she brought with her and put it by the edge of the pond.

She stripped down to her underwear and jumped in.

Emmett followed after.

Soon, everyone but Felix and me were in the water.

"Aren't you going in?" he asked me.

"I don't do well with being mostly naked in front of a group."

"Me either."

After everyone had bathed and gotten out of the pond, they started heading back.

"Felix, Bella, you guys coming?" Edward asked.

"I'm going to stay and bathe now that everyone else is done. I'll meet you back at camp."

"I'll stay to make sure you get back safely."

"No, go back. Felix will be here to keep me safe."

Edward looked like the last thing he wanted to do was leave Felix and me alone, but he turned around and trudged after the rest of the group.

After they had all left, I turned to Felix. "Do you mind turning around so I can get in?"

He nodded and faced the opposite direction.

I stripped down and got into the water.

After 15 minutes, I instructed Felix to turn around so I could get out and get dressed.

Once I was finished, we made our way back to camp, talking on the walk back.

Felix was a really interesting person. He told me about all the places he had visited. He had been to every continent in the world. Asia was his last stop. He was on his way back to the states to start his new job when the plane crashed.

"That sounds like so much fun. Jacob and I were considering touring Europe for our honeymoon." I stopped talking. That was the first time I had spoken about Jacob to Felix.

"I'm really sorry about your fiancée. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thanks."

We arrived back at camp in time for dinner.

After another meal of fish, everyone was talking about their special talents.

Emmett told everyone how Rose was the perfect woman because she could restore cars, collected comic books, and could play video games.

Rosalie paid him back by telling us all how Emmett could identify any movie by a line from it.

We all tried to stump him, but he even got _10 Things I Hate About You_ with the line "'Quivering member.' I like that."

"Did you all know Jasper is one sick guitar player?" Alice asked.

"It's true," Cynthia piped up. "We've heard him play."

"Thanks, Alice."

"Play for the people, you big baby."

Jasper sighed, but pulled out his guitar. He started strumming and played "American Pie" by Don McLean with Alice and Cynthia singing along.

"Alice, show them yours," Cynthia said.

"Okay, a little background info. I took ballet for 15 years, and that helped me do this." She stood her tippy toes on one foot while she put her other leg behind her head.

Everyone's mouth dropped wide open.

"Apparently, it's a major turn on for guys."

"I'll say," Emmett gasped.

Rosalie smacked his arm.

"Don't be a pig," she snapped.

"What?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes at him. She was glaring at him, but then he put his arm around her and she melted into his chest.

Watching them interact like that made my chest ache.

My love was gone, and he was never coming back.

I sat there, depressed.

"Hey, Bella never showed us her talent!" Emmett called out.

Thanks, Emmett. Thanks a lot.

I didn't have a talent.

"I don't have one," I mumbled, not looking at anyone. That wasn't entirely true. I could perform a damn good striptease, but I wasn't going to embarrass myself that way.

"Oh, _please_, Bella. Everyone has some kind of talent. I had to sit here and let Emmett tell everyone all the non-girly things I do."

Emmett flashed a grin at Rosalie.

"I showed everyone ho I'm a human pretzel," Alice offered.

"And we all saw how Emmett is the biggest dork alive," Edward laughed.

"Okay, fine! There's one thing I can do, but it's really embarrassing. It's not something I normally do in front of a group of people." I usually only did it to teach Angela how to get a guy. And for Jacob.

"I need your shirt," I said to Edward.

He unbuttoned his shirt and gave it to me. I put it on and grabbed Mike Newton's hat off his head. I pulled my hair back and stuffed it into a ball, then jammed the hat on my head.

I walked over to Jasper. "I need you to play "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" by Shania Twain. Can you do that?"

"Darling, I can play any song as long as it has a bass line. Alice, come over here, girl."

Alice danced over to his side.

"Would you mind giving me some vocals so Bella here can strut her stuff?"

She nodded. I walked away and turned my back to the crowd, mortified at what I was about to do.

I heard Jasper strum the familiar tune, and Alice's voice sing, **"Let's go girls."**

I started into the same routine I had shown Angela a million times before.

I looked out and instead of seeing a bunch of plane crash survivors who I barely knew, I saw Edward, looking at me.

I pulled the hat off and threw it to him.

I kept dancing around, always keeping my eyes on Edward.

Each time I removed another article of clothing, his eyes got a little wider.

Maybe he would realize that I was doing this for him.

Maybe this would work and he would realize he was attracted to me as much as I was attracted to him.

Hey, this had worked before. After Jacob had seen my little show, he asked me out.

The song finished and I was standing in front of the group, half-naked. I quickly snatched Edward's shirt from the ground and threw it on myself.

Every single person watching had their mouths open.

I felt my face going red. I hated doing stuff like this in front of people.

I heard someone give a whistle, followed by a slap and Emmett saying, "Oww." Rose must have hit him.

I walked over and sat down next to Edward, but he wouldn't look at me or say anything.

Maybe it hadn't worked. Maybe he didn't like stripteases.

This probably confirmed his belief I was a striping, gold digging whore.

Lovely. This would make things extremely awkward tonight.

I guess this meant I was sitting out here until he fell asleep.

People started making their way to bed.

All the guys stopped by me and said my striptease was the most amazing thing they had ever seen in their life.

Every guy except Edward.

He seemed glued to his seat on the log.

Finally, he got up and headed back to our hut.

I was all alone, sitting by the dying fire.

Why did I decide to do my dance in front of everyone?

I wasn't sexy. I wasn't hot. I was just…me. There was nothing special about me.

I just sat there by the fire, wallowing in self-pity.

I heard a rustling noise behind me.

I turned my head toward the jungle, but didn't see anything.

Maybe it was just an animal.

I heard movement again.

Whatever was out there, I didn't want to come face-to-face with it.

Hopefully, Edward was asleep by now.

I pulled on my shoes and was about to get up when something grabbed me.

I prepared to scream, but something was shoved in my mouth, muffling any noise.

Whoever had grabbed me picked me up and carried me into the jungle.

I was flailing my arms and kicking, trying to hit something to wake someone up. I knocked over a log, but I doubted anyone heard it.

My captor pulled me into the jungle, away from our camp.

For 20 minutes, I was dragged through ferns, bushes, leaves, and trees.

It was pitch dark and I couldn't see anything.

I tried to get a glimpse of who was doing this, but I couldn't tell who it was.

Finally, we stopped.

In front of us, I saw a group of three people.

There were two men and a woman.

I couldn't tell what they looked like, except that none of them looked familiar.

"It took you long enough. We thought you were going to fail," the woman said. She had a light, airy voice.

"Yeah, well none of them are ever alone. I saw her sitting by the fire alone, and it was the perfect opportunity."

Wait, I knew that voice…

"Well done, Felix. You have completed your task. Aro will be most pleased." The man who spoke had a deep voice. It made him sound old and wise.

"So, why did Aro send you three out to meet me? I thought he'd send Jane and Alec. They are his favorites, after all."

"Jane and Alec are busy observing. Victoria and I are to walk back with you. James is to take the girl to the center to begin the tests."

I was so confused. What were they talking about?

Felix let me go and pushed me over to the one man. He grabbed my arm and held me still so I couldn't escape.

This close, I was able to make out some of his features. He looked very familiar…

"Hey sugar," he drawled in his southern accent.

His words were the last thing I remembered before I hit the forest floor.

**Edward's POV next time!**


	7. Chapter 6: Search

Chapter 6: Search

EPOV

_**You, shook me all night long**_

_**Yeah you, shook me all night long.**_

_I looked at my ringing cell phone playing AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" and wondered why Emmett was calling._

"_What Emmett?"_

"_Grab your coat, little bro. We're taking the jet and heading to Seattle."_

"_Why?"_

"_Remember that girl I told you about like 2 weeks ago, Amber?"_

"_Yeah, what about her?"_

"_Well I just found out she's going to be at this club in Seattle tonight and I wanted to go see her."_

"_So why do you need me?"_

"_I don't go anywhere without my wingman!"_

_I sighed. He wouldn't take no for an answer. "When are you going to pick me up?"_

_Half an hour later, we were on Emmett's private jet, heading to Seattle._

_Emmett kept going on and on about Lusty Lady, the club Amber was performing at._

"_Were flying to Seattle just so you can go to some strip club to hook up with a girl?"_

"_Basically."_

_I sighed. Typical Emmett. _

_We eventually arrived at the club and went in._

_There was a girl on the stage doing a very seductive dance, wearing a top hat and nothing else._

_I saw a few waitresses walking around, bringing the men drinks._

_They were wearing bikini tops and black leather skirts._

_Emmett and I sat down at a table. One of the girls came over to us looking very stressed out._

"_I'll be right with you guys. Just let me go grab these guy's drinks."_

_She walked over to the bar, grabbed the drinks and gave them to the group of guys at the next table._

"_Sorry about that, we're just a little short today because Bella had to go and decide not to some so she could be with her rich boyfriend!" She sounded resentful._

"_Excuse me?"_

"_The other girl who usually works tonight decided to not come in and spend the night with her boyfriend. But the manager won't fucking fire her because her boyfriend is the supplier of booze here. I'm Lauren, by the way."_

"_I'll take a scotch," Emmett said. "Hey, do you know when Amber is performing tonight?"_

"_She's up next. Anything for you?"_

"_No, I'm fine."_

_Lauren left to go get Emmett's scotch._

_I looked around the club for a minute before deciding I'd rather be anywhere but here._

"_Emmett, I'll meet you back at the plane in a few hours. I can't stay here."_

"_Suit yourself."_

_I left the club and started walking around the city._

_I found an open Starbucks and went in._

_After getting my grande coffee, I sat down at a table. I was sitting there, alone, doing nothing, when a beautiful woman walked up to me._

"_Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked._

"_No, go ahead."_

_I had no idea why she wanted to share a table with me. The shop was almost empty, and she could sit anywhere she wanted, but she chose to sit with me._

"_I'm Tanya, by the way."_

"_Edward."_

"_So, Edward, what are you doing at Starbucks at 9 in the evening?"_

"_My brother Emmett decided to take an impromptu trip to Seattle tonight to find this girl, and me, as his wingman, was forced to come. I didn't want to stay at the club with him, so here I am. What about you?"_

"_Oh, I just got off of work and didn't want to go back to my empty apartment yet. So, you're not from Seattle?"_

"_California born and raised."_

"_Interesting."_

"_What's interesting?"_

"_Well, you don't look like a California boy to me. When I think of California, I think of tan, blonde surfer boys. You look like you could be from Seattle."_

"_Nope. I'm in LA right now doing my residency."_

"_Oh, you're a doctor?"_

"_Yeah. What about you?"_

_I run an art gallery here."_

"_So you're from Seattle?"_

"_Well, I live here currently, but I'm from Port Angeles originally. My family still lives up there."_

"_Family?"_

"_My parents and 2 of my siblings. My one sister is in school at NYU. My other sister is still in high school and my brother is in 2__nd__ grade."_

"_Wow, that's a big age difference."_

"_Well, he's adopted. When I was 16, we adopted him from some girl in Forks who got knocked up by some guy and was too young to take care of a kid. My parents wanted another kid, so we took him."_

"_Oh."_

_We sat in silence for a minute until my cell phone rang._

_Emmett._

"_What?"_

"_Get your ass to the plane NOW! We gotta get the hell out of here."_

"_What happened with Amber?"_

"_Don't EVER mention Amber again!" he roared into the phone._

"_Okay, I'll be right there." I hung up the phone and tuned back to Tanya._

"_Looks like I have to go. Emmett probably offended someone or tried to hit on a married woman or something like that. Doesn't surprise me."_

_She laughed. "He sounds like a classy guy."_

"_Oh, he is." I really liked talking to Tanya. I wanted to see her again, but she lived so far away…_

"_Hey, could I get your number?" she suddenly asked. "You know, just in case I'm in Los Angeles and need a doctor." She laughed._

"_Sure. How about I get yours, just in case I ever come back to Seattle and need some new paintings to decorate my home with."_

_We exchanged numbers and said goodbye._

_I met Emmett back at the plane._

"_So, are you going to tell me what happened with Amber? What was it this time? Married? Bad breath? A decent personality?"_

"_No," he shuddered. "Amber is…a transvestite."_

"_WHAT?"_

"_Yeah, I found that out when I suggested we take things into the back room and she said that wasn't possible. I fucking made out with a dude!"_

_I started cracking up. "Wait till the guys hear about this!"_

"_You're a dead man if you tell ANYONE about tonight," he threatened._

"_Alright, alright, I won't tell anyone, but you have to admit that it's pretty funny."_

"_The hell it is."_

_We flew back to LA, and I spent the entire flight thinking about Tanya, and wondering if there was any way I could transfer to a hospital in Seattle to finish my residency._

********

I swear this girl was trying to drive me crazy.

I want her. I keep trying to ignore my feelings, but it's no use.

I won't try to pursue her since she's still mourning the loss of her boyfriend.

She shares a hut with me, but won't touch me.

Then, the other night, she moves into my arms during the night, but then she spends all her time with that douche bag Felix.

Then, tonight, she does a sexy striptease and states at me the entire time.

When she finished, I wanted to pull her in my arms and kiss her. Hell, I wanted to do more than kiss her. Instead, I sat there like an idiot and didn't say anything.

When everyone went to bed, I didn't say anything to her.

I'm an idiot.

I should have told her she looked amazing and hot and sexy during that dance.

I should have told she looks amazing and hot and sexy when she's fishing.

I should have told her I'm in love with her.

I sat up from my mat.

She was still outside, probably waiting until I fell asleep so she wouldn't have to talk to me.

I would go out there and tell her how I felt. She had to know.

I got up, then stopped.

She was still trying to get over the death of her fiancée.

How would she feel if I went and professed my love for her after only knowing her for 3 days?

She would freak out. It would make things super awkward.

I would have to apologize to her tomorrow for acting like a tool and not telling her she did a good job.

What a fucking idiot I am.

I lay back down and tried to get to sleep when I heard something fall over outside.

I got up and opened the door to my hut to see what happened.

I sat a log by the jungle had fallen over.

Maybe some animal had hit it.

I didn't see Bella.

Did she decide to spend the night with someone else tonight?

No, she would have told me.

I looked around, but didn't see her anywhere.

Where was she?

"Bella?" I called out, hoping she would answer.

Nothing.

I walked over to the fallen log to see if she was sleeping outside.

I saw her shoe.

One shoe.

And I saw footprints heading into the jungle with something dragging behind them.

What the hell happened?

I looked around the camp and saw Felix's door open.

I looked inside, but no one was there.

I went in and looked around.

It looked pretty normal. I saw a piece of paper on the ground and picked it up, curious.

It was a list.

_Pretend to be plane survivor—check_

_Gain the trust of one of the girls—check_

_Get a girl to some into the jungle with me alone—check_

_Bring her back to the compound for tests—tonight_

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

I brought the list with me and sprinted to Emmett's hut.

I started banging on the door, trying to wake him up.

"Emmett! Emmett! Fuck, open the door!"

The door opened and Emmett came out, looking extremely pissed.

"What the fuck? You are the definition of a cockblock, you know that? I'm trying to fuck here, do you mind?"

"Sorry, but I need help now. Look at this—" I thrust the list I found in Felix's cabin towards him.

He read it over, his eyes widening.

"What the fuck is this?"

"It was in Felix's cabin."

"Oh shit."

"Bella's missing, and Felix isn't here either."

"Shit."

"What are we going to do?"

"Get everyone up, we need to find her NOW!"

Emmett and Rose got up. The three of us started waking everyone up.

Once everyone was on the beach, Emmett stood up on a log and spoke.

"Yo people, we got a situation here. Edward just found this is Felix's cabin. It's a to-do list. Now, I need everyone to think: does anyone remember seeing him on the plane?"

No one said anything.

"I don't remember seeing him, and I was at the end of the front section. The plane split three rows behind me. I would have seen him," A woman towards the back of the group called out.

"Fuck.

"Emmett, this fucker was already here before we crashed. He's been playing us all ever since we arrived."

"So what if he wasn't on the flight? What does that have to do with you guys waking us up in the middle of the night?"

"Bella Swan is missing."

Everyone went quiet.

"What does the to-do list say?" asked Seth.

"It has tasks he was supposed to complete. He was to pretend to be a survivor, befriend the women, get one of them alone, then—" I broke off, unable to complete the sentence.

"—then take one of them back to his compound or camp or whatever," Emmett said, finishing my sentence.

"What are they going to do to her?" Leah asked.

"We don't know."

"How do we even know Felix took her? It could just be some joke. Bella could have gone out for a walk," Newton piped up. I could see why Emmett fucking hated the guy.

"Well, first of all, both Bella and Felix are missing. Second, we found a fucking _list_ in his cabin that says what his plans are, and third, Edward heard a disturbance earlier, and found one of Bella's shoes by the jungle."

"So?"

"There were footprints by it, along with tracks that looked like someone was dragged into the jungle against their own free will."

"Fuck."

"So, we need to start searching for her. This means we're all going to have to go into the jungle tonight. We'll go in groups and _stay together_. We don't know how many more nut jobs like Felix are in there, waiting to kidnap the rest of our ladies." Emmett turned and smiled at Rosalie.

I saw Jasper standing next to Alice. She was crying. He grabbed her and pulled her close to him.

"Okay, we don't want any women going off by themselves, especially if these natives are gunning for them to perform experiments and shit. Every group of girls must have at least one guy with them."

Everyone nodded, agreeing with Emmett.

"What are we going to use to see? It's pitch black in there!" Leah shouted, sounding worried.

"We'll have to find something to use as torches. Use smaller logs from the beach to light the way."

"Emmett?"

"Yeah bro?"

"I think we're going to need that gun."

********

"_Hello?"_

"_Tanya?"_

"_Yes. Who is this?"_

"_It's Edward."_

"_Edward?"_

"_From the Starbucks in Seattle. We met like a month ago. I was in Seattle with my brother."_

"_Oh yeah! Hey, what's up?"_

"_I was wondering if you were doing anything tonight."_

"_Why? Aren't you from LA? How would me doing anything have any effect on your life?"_

"_Well, it just so happens that I'm in the area and was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me." What she didn't know was that I flew up to Seattle JUST to have dinner with her._

"_Are you serious?" _

"_Yes."_

"_Oh my gosh! I'd love to have dinner with you! I'm at work right now, but I'll give you a call when I'm done."_

"_Okay, cool."_

"_Okay, I'll talk to you in a few hours. Bye, Edward."_

"_Bye."_

_I hung up the phone and relaxed in my chair in the hotel lobby. I had a date tonight with an amazing woman._

_Two hours later, my phone rang._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey. It's Tanya. I just got off of work."_

"_Awesome. Where do you want me to meet you?"_

"_Why don't I come over to your hotel. Where are you staying?"_

"_The Ritz."_

"_Rich bastard." She started laughing. "I'm kidding. I'll be there in a few."_

_She hung up, and I walked outside the hotel to wait for her._

_Ten minutes later, a green truck pulled up. It was old, dirty, and beat up. It stopped right in front of me."_

"_Hey." Tanya had rolled down the window and was smiling at me. "Hop in."_

_I tentatively got in the car. This thing looked older than my father. "Nice car."_

"_Hey, not all of us are rich doctors who have football stars for brothers." She smiled and let out a laugh._

"_I guess you're right. Well, it has personality. So, where do you want to go?"_

"_Why don't you choose? This was your idea, after all."_

"_Well, you probably know the restaurants around here better than I do."_

"_True. Actually, I'm a little worn out from work. Would you be opposed to the idea of going back to my place and ordering in and watching a movie?"_

"_No, that's fine." _

_She drove us to an apartment complex in the heart of Seattle and parked her truck on the street._

"_Welcome to Chateau Tanya," she said, gesturing to the building on her left._

_We got out of the car and entered the building. Tanya waved to the doorman and said hi to a few people passing us. They all gave me an interested look, but said nothing to Tanya about me. Maybe it wasn't unusual for her to have a male guest._

_We arrived at her apartment and she unlocked the door, letting us in._

_I expected something small with used furniture after seeing her car, but it was the complete opposite._

_She had a huge place, furnished with the most exquisite pieces. I think she had an original Monet hanging on her wall._

_She had crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, china figures placed all over, and expensive furniture that you only saw in castles all over the room._

_She had an enormous flat panel television hanging on her wall with a stereo system next to it._

_I looked in her kitchen and saw all the counters were made of granite, and all of her appliances were top-of-the-line._

"_Wow."_

"_What were you expecting, small and run-down?"_

"_Kind of. After seeing what you drive, I expected more of the same."_

"_Well, I bought that car in high school with the money I earned at my part-time job. My family has a lot of money, but I still had to work to pay for things I wanted. I haven't bought a new car because most of my money goes into paying for this place and funding my very expensive shopping habit."_

"_I see." I looked at her again and saw she was dressed very nicely in all designer labels._

"_Well, a car isn't very high on my list of priorities. Let me get the phone and order us some food. I know this little Italian place that delivers." She picked up the phone and called the restaurant._

"_If you want, we can put on a movie to watch. I don't mind eating in the living room. I'm kind of messy in case you can't tell." _

_I looked around and saw things thrown all over the room. There was a pair of heels here, a notebook here, a purse here, take out containers all over the kitchen, and her carpet seriously needed to be cleaned._

_I went over to her movie cabinet and gasped._

_She had more movies than a movie store. More movies than Emmett._

"_Umm, what do you want to watch?" I called out to her._

"_Ooh, how about __Ghost?_ _That's my favorite." _

_I grabbed __Ghost__ from the cabinet and popped it in the DVD player._

_Once the food arrived, we sat down on the couch and started watching the movie._

_The famous pottery scene came on, and I had an overwhelming urge to kiss her._

_She must have been thinking the same thing, because when I turned to face her, she was already looking at me. Without thinking, I leaned forward and touched my lips to hers._

_Before I knew what had happened, Patrick Swayze was saying goodbye to Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg as he went to heaven._

_Tanya pulled away from my lips, looking slightly embarrassed._

"_Well, I guess I should get back to my hotel," I said, stalling._

"_Umm yeah, unless you'd rather stay here tonight." She looked at me with her big, blue eyes._

_This was the girl I was going to marry._

********

Once we got everyone organized, we decided to split into groups to find Bella.

Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and I would start where the footprints ended.

Newton, Leah, Sam, Emily, Austin, and Maggie would go down the shore and around the jungle.

Mary, Randall, Carmen, Garrett, Peter, and Charlotte would enter with us, but go left instead of straight.

Liam, Benjamin, Tia, Eric, Katie, and Charles would also enter with us, but go to the right.

Cynthia, Seth, Collin, Brady, and the rest of the younger survivors would stay on the beach. We were all a little apprehensive about this in case Felix returned, but they would be safer here than in the jungle.

The beach group set off around the jungle, while my group and the other two jungle groups entered through the trees.

We said goodbye to the two other groups as we went straight.

We had three torches with us. We had used logs from the beach and wrapped cloth around them, making the flame last longer.

We walked through the woods, not seeing anything or anyone.

I was starting to get worried. We hadn't found a single trace of Bella or Felix, and we had been walking for over an hour.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! What the fuck is going on here?" I heard Emmett curse under his breath.

"Guys, stop. I think I hear something." Rosalie put her hand on Emmett's chest and he stopped. The rest of us followed suit.

We listened and heard a rustling sound coming from the trees in front of us.

Emmett pulled out the gun, cocked it, and pointed it at the trees.

A man jumped out of the trees, and froze when he saw the five of us there, pointing a gun at him.

"Help me," was all he said before he collapsed.

Alice rushed forward to help the man up.

"Who are you? What happened to you?" she asked him kindly.

He looked at us for a moment, sizing us up, making sure we were trustworthy.

He took a deep breath and began his story:

"My name is Eleazar. I belonged to a group of people on this island. We were on a boat when our ship crashed. A group of us were able to get into a lifeboat and find refuge on this island. It was me, three crewmen, my wife Ana, and my daughter Julia.

Once we arrived here, we set up camp in the jungle. We began searching for food, and trying to make signals so someone would see us and we would be rescued.

Two months passed, and there was still no sign that anyone knew where we were. We began to give up hope that rescue was possible, and tried to live on the island.

We were fine for a month, enjoying the nice weather and the beautiful landscape.

One day, George, one of the crewmen, went out into the jungle to get a new supply of water.

He never returned. We searched for him all day, but there was no trace of him. We assumed he was out exploring, and he would come back soon.

Three days passed, and George still had not returned. We began to worry, especially my daughter. She was only seven, and could not understand why her 'Uncle George' wasn't there are night to tuck her in.

Every day, we would comb the jungle, looking for any signs of George, but there was none to be found.

A month passed without a sign of George , and we assumed he had been killed by an animal. We heard them sometimes, and had even seen a bear in the distance once.

A week later, Ana, Julia, and I went for a walk. After the incident with George, no one went anywhere alone. Ana and I watched as Julia picked flowers, when suddenly we were surrounded by people, all of them holding guns pointed at us.

Julia screamed as a man with brown hair picked her up and carried her away.

Ana and I tried to follow him, but we were seized by two other men. Both of us were dragged away after bags were thrown over our heads.

I couldn't see where we were going or if Ana was still with me.

After awhile, the sack was pulled off my head. I was in some type of cage, and I was alone. Ana and Julia were nowhere to be found.

That's when I started screaming. Screaming for help, screaming for Ana, screaming for Julia, screaming for anything.

Every so often, someone would walk by. I would try to ask them about my wife and daughter, but they would act like I wasn't even there.

I began acting out. I would throw rocks I found on the floor at the people walking by, hitting them in the chest and head. I tried escaping three times, but was thwarted. The last time, I managed to shoot two of the men before being captured again. I didn't know if they lived or died.

A few days later, a man walked up to my cage. He was about 40 years old and had long black hair.

'Hello friend,' he said to me.

'Where are Ana and Julia?' I screamed at him.

'Patience, patience. Screaming will get you nowhere. Would you like to get out of this cage and see your family?' He pulled out a set of handcuffs. 'I only ask that you put these on before I unlock the door. For safety reasons, of course.'

He passed the cuffs through the bars and I put them on my wrists.

The man unlocked the door and walked in. He pulled out the sack they had put over my head and handed it to me. "Please place this over your head."

I obliged and was immediately plunged into darkness.

I was led blindly through the man's camp, unsure of where we were going. I was led into a building and through many rooms. Eventually, we came to a stop.

The man took the sack off my head and unlocked the handcuffs. I looked around and saw we were in a room with another cage. In the cage were Ana and Julia.

I ran toward the cage, calling their names, but they didn't respond.

'Ana, Julia, wake up! It's Eleazar, Ana! It's daddy, Julia!'

'They won't wake up.' I turned around and saw that the man who had brought me here had spoken.

'Why? Are they sick? Have they been drugged?' My voice rose higher and higher with each question I asked.

'They won't wake because they no longer belong to this world.'

'What?' I could hear the panic in my voice.

'They are dead,' he said, calmly.

'Dead!? How can they be dead?'

'They were executed 2 days ago. You didn't honestly think we would allow you to kill two of our people with no consequences, did you? Those two men you shot while trying to escape died.'

'But…why? Why my wife and daughter? Why not just kill me?'

'A life for a life. You killed two members of our family, we killed two from yours. Consider us even.' I couldn't understand how he could stand there so calmly while he spoke of the murders of my wife and daughter.

'Now,' he continued, 'You will start behaving, unless you want to meet the same fate as your family.' He smiled menacingly as he locked the door to my cage.

I didn't know what to do. My family was gone. I was trapped in a cage by the people who killed them, and I was most likely going to be next."

"What happened next?" Rosalie asked, intrigued. "Did they try to kill you? Is that how you got all the gashes on your body?"

"Not exactly," Eleazar said. "I got those in the Palacio."

"Palacio?" Alice asked, confused.

"It's the center where they perform all kinds of experiments."

"Experiments?" I asked. "What kinds of experiments?"

"All kinds. After the man, who I later learned was named Aro, brought me back to my cage, a group of people came and took me to the Palacio. There, I met a man named James.

James is a sadistic type of person. He gets high from causing other people pain. He is one of their experimenters and their chief torturer.

I got this," he pointed to a scar on his arm, "when I kicked him and tried to run away. I didn't realize he had a knife hidden in his belt. He pulled it out and shoved it in my arm.

During my two-year stay at the Palacio, they implanted random contraptions in my body to see how they affected me, gave me dangerously high doses of drugs to see if I would OD, and tortured me unmercifully.

Every day, I prayed to the gods to kill me. I tried escaping multiple times, but each time I was caught and subjected to pain that you couldn't imagine.

Throughout my imprisonment, more people were brought in. There was a girl, Bree, who told me she had been on a boat race when hers crashed on the island.

She was raped repeatedly by the men at the Palacio. When she found out she was pregnant, she killed herself.

Another girl, Sara, remembered being hit over the head, and then waking up in the cell next to mine. She was impregnated by James. After the incident with Bree, they kept a close watch on her.

During her pregnancy, they constantly performed tests. When she finally gave birth, she died along with the baby.

All the girl test subjects became pregnant somehow, and all of them died giving birth along with their child.

I noticed security was always relaxed when they brought in a new subject, so I planned my escape for the next time they brought someone in.

Last night, after everyone else had left, James brought in a new girl. When he was busy attending to her, I slipped out of my cage and made a run for it.

I got into the jungle without anyone seeing me, and then I met you people."

We were all staring at him, shocked.

"The girl they brought in, what did she look like?" I asked, though I had a feeling I already knew the answer.

"Brown hair, thin, medium height. She looked like she had been shipwrecked here or something. Her clothes were all torn and she was missing a shoe."

"Shit," Emmett muttered.

"What?" Eleazar asked, taken aback by Emmett's comment.

"She's from our camp. Her name's Bella. She was kidnapped by someone we thought was a friend last night. He turned out to be one of these barbarians."

"Do you know where this Palacio is?" I asked him.

"Yes."

"Could you take us there?"

"I don't know. If I go back there and they see me, they'll kill me. However, I know James will be the only one there today."

"You have to help us!" I shouted at him.

"Okay, I'll help, but we have to be careful. James is absolutely lethal, and he has unparalleled senses. He'll know we're coming before he can see us."

"How can we fight someone like that? We have one gun." Emmett showed him the handgun we had found on the jungle floor.

"I can help with that. I know a place in the jungle where they have a storage of rifles we can use. It's there for when they are under attack in the jungle."

"How do you know this?"

"I lived there for over two years. You pick things up when they think you're sleeping."

"Let's go, then!"

"Alright. Just stay quiet, and everyone listen to me."

We followed Eleazar further into the jungle, unsure of where it would lead us or what would happen to us once we reached our final destination.

**This is actually a two-part chapter. The second part, "Rescue" should be up by Wednesday or Thursday, depending on when I have time to write it. Also, after the next chapter, I'm going to start writing from the other character's viewpoints. If you have any requests, let me know!**


	8. Chapter 7: Rescue

Chapter 7: Rescue

**(AN: There will be no flashbacks in this chapter. Also, the POV will change throughout instead of remaining with one person. Next chapter, I'll go back to flashbacks and single character POV's.)**

EmPOV

Edward and Eleazar were talking. Edward was trying to convince Eleazar to help us find Bella, but Eleazar was worried about going back to the Palacio since if the dude there, James, saw him, he would kill him.

"Okay, I'll help, but we have to be careful. James is absolutely lethal, and he has unparalleled senses. He'll know we're coming before he can see us."

"How can we fight someone like that? We have one gun." I pulled the gun out of my waistband and showed it to him.

"I can help with that. I know a place in the jungle where they have a storage of rifles we can use. It's there for when they are under attack in the jungle."

"How do you know this?"

"I lived there for over two years. You pick things up when they think you're sleeping."

"Let's go, then!"

"Alright. Just stay quiet, and everyone listen to me."

Eleazar headed back the way he came and the rest of us followed him.

Me personally? I was excited for this. Time to kick some ass, rescue some girl, and maybe get Edward laid. God knows he needed that after the whole fiasco with Tanya.

If he could just find someone else, maybe he could get over her.

But every time I'd seen him on the island, he didn't look unhappy. Whenever he was with Bella, he had that stupid shit-eating grin on his face.

That was a good change. Ever since he walked in on Tanya banging some guy, he had been depressed. He walked out on her and came and stayed with me for a week before we left for Japan.

He had wasted no time in trying to rid his life of her. He met with an attorney the next day and filed for divorce before we left.

Who knew what would happen when we got off this island. _If _we got off this island.

All I knew was that Edward was falling for Bella. Falling hard. Falling fast. But that was Edward. He only dated Tanya for 4 months before becoming engaged, and they were only engaged for a month before they tied the knot.

It wouldn't surprise me if he was already in love with her, even though he had only known her for about a week, and as far as I knew, they hadn't even kissed.

I thought about him and Bella compared to me and Rosie (she hated when I called her that). Rose was so forward and open.

She wasn't afraid to say what she felt, and she certainly wasn't afraid to call me out on my bullshit. She was exactly the kind of girl I was looking for.

All the other girls I had dated or slept with had been the same: superficial, skanky, annoying. Rosalie was different. Sure, she acted all superficial and materialistic, but underneath it all, she was down-to-earth and real. She didn't really care about all the glitz and glamour.

She was honest and kind and the most genuine girl I had ever been with. I still felt like she was hiding something. Something about her that she was unwilling to share with me or with anyone.

Something about her past she was trying to escape. Whenever I asked about her past before she came to LA, she always found a way to change the subject. Maybe it had something to do with her marriage, or her father, or some stupid thing she did as a kid.

I didn't know, and I wasn't going to press it. For now.

Eleazar brought us to a field in the jungle and stopped. I looked around, wondering why we were here.

He had said we were going to where they kept a supply of rifles, but there was nothing here except trees and grass.

Eleazar started walking around the grounds, stomping his feet like he was looking for something. Suddenly, I heard a hollow sound when his feet touched the ground.

"What was that?" Whitlock asked.

"What I've been looking for. This is where they keep the extra supply of guns. Not many of them know about it, only the important people."

"How did you find out about it?"

"Aro came in one day and was talking to James about it."

"Aro?" I asked when he used the unfamiliar name.

"He's their leader. He's in charge of everything. He's the one who showed me my dead family, and the one who also made the orders for their execution."

"Got it. So what were Aro and James talking about?"

"Aro came in to speak with James. It was right after I had been tortured, so they thought I was unconscious. I used to pass out after ever beating, but since I had been receiving them for two years, I was getting stronger. I was able to be tortured for over an hour and still remain conscious, but I didn't let them know that.

They liked to have important conversations when they thought I was out of it. So Aro came in after I had been tortured and wanted to discuss the 'firearm deposit' with James. This was right after your plane had crashed. Aro was worried that one of you guys would discover their secret stash of weapons in the jungle.

James assured him it was well hidden, that no one knew where it was except him, Aro, Caius, and Marcus. The four of them had hidden it together.

Aro was considering moving it, but James said there was no need for that. He said the only way that you guys would find it is if you went for a long stroll in the jungle, found the meadow where it was hidden, and went stomping around until you heard the hollow sound where the guns were stored.

Aro laughed and agreed, saying he hadn't been thinking when he had begun to worry. This was the greatest day of my life. I heard where the natives had a supply of weapons. I also knew how I was going to escape, since they had talked about a new girl that was going to be coming in next week.

Once I escaped, I planned to seize the weapons, find you people, and attempt to convince you to attack the natives and free the other prisoners."

Eleazar pulled open a door on the ground and walked into it.

"Follow me," he called out.

********

BPOV

I woke up, unsure of where I was or how I got here. I remembered humiliating myself last night by thinking Edward wanted me.

I remembered performing my striptease for him, and him not doing anything.

I remembered sitting by the fire after everyone else had gone to bed, waiting for Edward to fall asleep so I wouldn't have to face him and embarrass myself further.

I remember someone grabbing me and dragging me into the jungle, away from camp.

I remember meeting a group of people in the jungle.

I remembered hearing Felix's voice, and realizing he was the one who took me, the one who brought me into the jungle.

I remember that voice. That voice that had haunted me since I was 13. The voice that had been in my nightmares every night since that night. The voice of evil.

The voice of the man who raped me.

The last thing I remembered was him calling me "sugar," then everything went black.

I looked around. I was in some kind of building inside some kind of cage. I looked around, but didn't see anyone else.

There was another cage adjacent to mine, but it was empty.

I looked at the bars on my cage. They weren't very narrow. They were actually kind of wide. I could probably fit through them if I tried…

I walked up to the bars and slipped through them easily. Too easily. Why would they put me in a cage I could easily escape from?

My question was answered a second later. As soon as I put my feet on the ground, a loud siren filled the room. I dropped to my knees and covered my ears.

Three armed men rushed into the room, followed by an older man who was looking at a watch.

"Five minutes," he said, writing something on a clipboard.

The armed men grabbed me, unlocked my cage, and threw me back inside. I hit the ground hard and felt something jab into my arm.

I looked down and saw a piece of metal had pierced my skin.

I pulled it out and pressed my hand to the site of the injury, applying pressure to try and stop the bleeding.

The four men left and another man entered the room.

I recognized him instantly. He was the man who had spoken last night, the one they called James.

"Hey sugar. Long time no see."

I didn't say anything.

"Oh, please. You can't honestly pretend you don't remember me. After that fun afternoon in the forest in Forks, remember? A virgin screaming. There is no sound I enjoy more in the world." He laughed, still looking at me.

I still didn't say anything.

"Looks like you need to learn some manners, sugar." He approached the cage, a look of menace in his eyes. "When I ask you something, I expect an answer." He pulled out a set of keys and unlocked my door. "Now, I'll ask you again: do you remember our fun afternoon in the forest 8 years ago?"

I just stared at the floor, determined not to say anything.

The next thing I knew, my cheek was on fire and I was laying the floor. He had slapped me hard across the face.

"Do you remember me, sugar?"

Again, I said nothing.

This time, my eye throbbed with pain after his fist connected with the side of my head.

"Answer me!"

I couldn't say anything.

I felt him grab me by my shirt, then he threw me to the ground.

I screamed out in pain as me head hit the bars.

He seemed to like the sound of my pain.

He walked back over to me and pulled me back up.

"Seeing you again brings back so many good memories," he said. "I wanted to try and recreate those wonderful experiences." He grabbed my shirt and yanked hard, ripping the fabric. My tattered shirt fell to the floor.

Since I was still in my striptease outfit, I had only my lingerie on.

"Excellent," he muttered. He moved toward me, preparing to rip off the remaining lacy clothes I was wearing.

********

EPOV

With the rifle slung across my back, I felt more powerful.

We had all followed Eleazar into the room, staring at the huge supply of ammo that was in there.

Each of us took a rife and slung it across our back. We also had extra ammo with us. Emmett, Eleazar, Jasper, and I also each had a knife, just in case.

We followed Eleazar to the native's camp. It was completely different from what I had expected. There were houses everywhere. Not simple huts like the ones we lived in, but exquisite homes. Toward the one side, there was a three-story mansion.

An electric fence also surrounded the entire camp.

"How the fuck are we supposed to get in there?" Emmett hissed.

"Chill out. That's just where they all live. The Palacio is separate from the main compound. We just take the path over there and it will lead us there."

"But that's going to be surrounded by a fence that'll zap us, too!" complained Alice.

"No, it's not. Since James is the one who runs the Palacio, they feel like they don't need fences. How do you think I was able to escape? If there was a fence surrounding it, I would never have gotten out. No, there is no fence. They're only line of defense is James. Don't let that ease your fears," he added, seeing our faces relax. "Like I said before, James is lethal. He'll attack first, ask questions later."

"Shit," I heard Jasper mutter. "This is going to be dangerous. Don't you think maybe the women should wait outside, be our backup?"

"No way!" Alice responded, obviously miffed. "If you're going in there, so am I! Jazz, I can take care of myself. Anyways, if this James tries to kill me, you'll be right there with me." She reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Yeah, don't even _think_ of leaving me behind," Rosalie growled at Emmett.

"Didn't even cross my mind, babe," Emmett said, smiling at her. He bent down and planted a kiss on her lips.

What was this, lover's island? Did everyone find someone except me?

I knew that wasn't true. I found Bella. I just didn't know if she felt the same way.

Eleazar led us down the path. After walking for about five minutes, we saw a building that looked more like a bomb shelter than something you would call the "Palacio."

"Is that it?" I whispered to Eleazar.

He nodded. "I'm surprised James hasn't come out firing yet. He has security camera's set around the entire perimeter, and he spends all day watching them. He should be doing that now, unless..." He broke off with a worried look on his face.

"What?" I asked him.

"Unless he's…busy."

"Busy? What do you mean 'busy'?"

"I told you James was sadistic. He likes to…have some fun…with the new female subjects. It's a game of his."

"What do you mean?" I was really panicked now.

"He rapes them."

"What?!"

"He's a sick, twisted person. I don't want to just storm in there because he might be watching the cameras and waiting for us to enter to he can start shooting. I say we go around the perimeter and see if we can see anything."

We were preparing to start a patrol of the perimeter, when we heard a bloodcurdling scream come from the Palacio.

"That's it! I'm going in there!" I raced forward toward the door, followed by the rest of the group, to save Bella.

********

BPOV

"Help! Please! Someone help me!" I screamed out in pain and terror.

I was on the floor of my cage with James on top of me.

I was completely naked, since he had already raped me twice. Now, he was seeing how else he could cause me pain.

He bent down and sunk his teeth into my wrist, drawing blood.

I had bite marks all over my skin. Apparently he was a biter.

I was oozing blood from multiple places on my body. He had used his knife like he had 8 years ago, and gave me another cut on my chest to match the old scar.

He pulled his knife out and dragged it across my other arm, symmetrical to the scar on my other arm.

I let out a loud scream that hopefully someone would hear. Maybe there was someone in the jungle who could hear me and would come rescue me.

James leaned closer to me. "I was thinking of radioing over a couple of my buddies. Then we could make this a real party."

I let out a whimper. "Please, let me go. Please!" I started crying, but that just made him laugh. He put his knife against my face and dragged it across my cheek.

I felt the blood ooze down my face.

Why didn't he just kill me? Death would be better than this.

I heard a bang. James looked up at the door, and snarled.

I looked. Standing in the door was Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and another man I didn't know.

They all walked into the room, guns slung over their backs.

My rescuers were finally here.

********

EPOV

I kicked open the door, ready to face whatever was there.

I looked in, unprepared for what I found.

Even in my worst imaginations, I never expected anything like this.

It was a room lined with huge animal cages. I heard screaming coming from the end.

I looked toward the last cage and my jaw dropped.

Bella was in it, lying on the ground, completely naked.

James was on top of her, pressing a knife into her skin. She had cuts everywhere and was gushing blood.

James looked at us when we burst in through the door, and smiled.

He got up off of Bella, dragging his knife along her skin as he moved. She let out another scream as he did this.

Emmett, Jasper, Eleazar, and I charged at James as Alice and Rosalie went to Bella.

Emmett was in the front and tackled James to the ground, punching him in the face.

Emmett was laying into him, when we heard Rosalie's voice. "Emmett, help!"

I looked over at her, and saw them trying to stop Bella from bleeding.

I was torn. I wanted to help Bella. I loved her, I needed to help her. On the other hand, I wanted to literally _kill_ the person who did this to her.

Emmett looked at me and saw me struggling. "Edward, I'll go help Bella. You and Jasper take care of James." He got up and ran over to Rose and Alice. Eleazar went to help them.

I looked down at James, and only felt hatred.

I let my anger and hatred take control of me, and let my fists connect with his face repeatedly, never stopping.

I kept going even when I felt him stop struggling. Jasper put his hand on my shoulder.

"Stop, Edward. Stop. He's dead."

I dropped my hands to my side and looked at my knuckles. They were stained red with blood.

"Edward, help us! She won't stop bleeding!" Emmett called over to me, a note of panic in his voice.

I ran over to Bella. I looked down at her. She had cuts all over her body, and each one was bleeding.

"Fuck! We need to stop this bleeding, or she's going to die." I took off my shirt and folded it a few times, then handed it to Alice. "Here, put this on the cut on her chest and press down hard." She took it from me and did as I said.

"Emmett, Jasper—I need you to take off your shirts and press them on the cuts on her arm and stomach." The listened to me and applied pressure to the wounds.

"Edward." Bella croaked out my name. I looked down at her and saw her reaching for my arm.

I took her hand in mine. "It's okay, Bella. Everything is going to be okay."

I saw tears falling from the corner of her eyes. I bent down and pulled her into my arms. Alice, Emmett, and Jasper moved their hands from their compressions so I could hold her.

I cradled her against my chest, rocking back and forth and whispering soothing words in her ears.

Emmett silently handed me a blanket, and I wrapped it around Bella.

"Shit," I heard Eleazar mutter.

"What?" Jasper asked him.

"Do you know what today's date is?"

"No, we haven't been able to keep track of the days here. We've only been counting how many days we've been here. Why?"

"Fuck, we have to get out of here."

"Explain to us what is going on. Now."

"If we don't get out of here in the next ten minutes, all of us are going to be dead. THAT'S what's going on."

I didn't know why we were all going to be dead, but I believed Eleazar. If he thought we were all in danger, then we were all in danger.

I wrapped the blanket tightly around Bella and picked her up. She was too weak to walk.

"Hold on," I whispered to her. She obeyed and wrapped her uninjured arm around my neck.

Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and me with Bella followed Eleazar out of the Palacio.

"Hurry! We don't have much time!" Eleazar was whispering to us. "And for the love of God, _be quiet!_"

The seven of us ran into the jungle and hid behind a bush of flowers. We were staring back at the Palacio.

"Shouldn't we be going back to camp if we're in danger?" I whispered to Eleazar.

"We can't be seen. If someone sees us, we're dead!

"But you said no one comes here except James?"

"That's normally true, but I forgot that on Thursdays at noon, Aro comes by to check on the prisoners. When I looked at the clock and calendar in there, I saw it was 11:50am, and today is a Thursday."

"Fuck."

"Exactly. We have to wait until Aro enters the Palacio. Then, we have to run like a bat out of hell. Once he walks in there, we have about two minutes until he sees James's body and raises the alarm. Their guard will come looking for us, so we need to get out of here."

Everyone looked worried, especially me. How was I going to get away while carrying Bella in my arms?

Emmett seemed to know what I was thinking.

"Give her to me, bro. I can carry her _and_ run really fast. It's the best option."

I knew he was right. He was a football player, and he had to outrun other players in pounds of pads in sweltering heat. He could do it.

"Okay, everyone quiet. I hear someone coming down the path."

We looked towards the path and saw a man approaching. He looked about 40-years-old with brown hair. He wasn't very big and didn't look very dangerous.

He walked up to the Palacio door, and looked perplexed when it opened without his key. He entered the building.

"RUN!" Eleazar whispered to us.

We all broke into a sprint, following Eleazar through the jungle.

After we had been running for about two minutes, we heard an alarm go off behind us, back at the native's camp.

"Don't stop running! Follow me!" Eleazar shouted at us.

We followed him into a clearing in the jungle. I knew we were going to be caught soon. The natives had a huge guard. They would send them into the jungle looking for us. They were probably already searching.

"In here!" Eleazar shouted at us.

I looked over at him. He was holding open a door attached to the ground.

"What—"I started to ask him, but he cut me off.

"—no time to explain. Just get in and be quiet!"

We all followed his instructions, hopping in the trap door. It was a hole in the ground with enough room for us all to lie in a line on the ground.

Eleazar jumped in last, pulling the door closed behind us. The door was just bamboo shafts covered with grass, flowers, and leaves. If you didn't know where it was, you would never find it.

I looked over. Jasper had his arm around Alice. She looked terrified out of her mind. Emmett had one arm around Rosalie and one arm around Bella.

Eleazar put his finger to his lips, signaling us to stay quiet.

A moment later, three armed men entered the clearing.

"Where are they?" The one asked. "They had to have come this way."

"Maybe they're still running," the other one suggested.

"No way," the third one said. "If they were, we'd hear them."

"Well, they can't have just disappeared."

"Let's keep going. Maybe we'll find them up ahead."

"No, let's go back and tell Aro we couldn't find them. He won't be happy."

The three men left the clearing, grumbling. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Eleazar pushed the door open, and all of us climbed out.

"We should be fine now. We don't have to sprint back to your camp."

"Here," Emmett said, handing Bella to me.

I held her in my arms as she clung to me. I looked at the gashes on her skin. They were no longer bleeding, thank god.

We all started walking back to camp, Emmett leading the way, hand-in-hand with Rosalie.

"Edward?" Bella was looking at me.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For saving my life. For coming to look for me. For risking your own life to save mine."

"Why wouldn't I come to look for you?"

"Well, you don't seem to like me that much…"

This girl was so delusional. "Bella, you are utterly absurd. How could I not like you?"

"Well, you act like you like me, and then you ignore me. You didn't say anything after I did my dance, so I thought maybe…you thought I was too slutty, or you didn't like girls who dance like that."

"Do you want me to be completely honest?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Basically, I want you. I wanted you since I saw you at the airport. You were the most beautiful woman I had even seen in my life. I wanted you for myself, right then and there. I would have told you how I felt earlier, but you watched your fiancée die right in front of your eyes on the plane.

I would never pursue a woman who was grieving. Besides, you're the one who's been sending mixed signals. You've been acting like you're into me, but then you had another guy stay with you at the waterfall."

She looked down, avoiding my eyes. "Well, I wasn't going to let you see me _naked_ yet. I mean, I barely knew you, and I wasn't sure I could trust you not to peek." She giggled. "What kind of girl do you take me for?"

I just stared at her, dumbfounded.

"By the way," she added, "I like you. Wow, that sounds like I'm back in middle school, but it's true. Actually, it's more than a like. It's like this feeling I have."

"A feeling?" I asked.

"Yeah, like this pulling feeling. Like you're the one for me. I'm sorry, that sounds psycho since I've only known you for like two weeks."

I didn't say anything, but I knew exactly what she was talking about. I felt the same thing when I was with her. I had never felt this way with Tanya or any other girl I had ever been with.

She continued. "I mean, I don't know what this is. It's weird. Maybe it's just this island fooling with my head." She laughed.

She moved her arm, then made a pained face.

"Bella, are you okay?"

"It's just my arm. It 's painful from where James cut me."

"Don't worry. I'll stitch up those wounds when we get back to camp."

"I may be in pain, but I'm not going let you try to make it better because you like me and end up killing me. I only let doctors stitch me up."

"Good think I'm a doctor then." I smiled at her.

"You're a doctor?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Wow." She didn't say anything else.

We were almost back at camp now. This was going to interesting to see how people reacted to me carrying Bella wrapped in a blanket with gashes all over her body.

********

BPOV

"Oh my god, Bella!"

"Bella, are you okay?"

"What happened to you?"

"Did Felix do this to you?"

"Where were you?"

I was bombarded with questions as soon as Edward and I entered the camp.

Everyone was coming up to us, trying to get a look at me and find out what happened to me.

"I'm sorry, everyone, but Bella needs to rest now. I'm going to take her inside and clean her up, then let her rest. You can all talk to her later." Edward carried me into our hut and laid me on the ground.

"Where does it hurt the most?" he asked.

The one on my arm was stinging, but the chest wound was really painful, and it felt like it was still slightly bleeding.

"The one on my chest. It really hurts, and I think it's still bleeding."

He pulled the blanket off slightly, exposing the wound but keeping the rest of my body covered. I appreciated that. I had already been subjected to a lot of humiliation. Having Edward give me stitches while I lied on the ground naked would just be too much.

"Hold on, I'll be right back."

He disappeared out of the door, then reappeared a minute later.

"Where did you go?"

"I had to go get a needle from Alice. She had mentioned earlier that she never went anywhere without her sewing kit, so she would have a needle and thread for me to use to stitch your wounds closed. Don't worry, I sterilized it in the fire."

He knelt next to me and used to blanket to wipe away the blood. He held the needle and thread in his hand, preparing to insert it into my skin. I looked away.

"Bella, I know this is going to hurt, but it's best if you don't think about it. Talk to me to take your mind off the pain."

"What should I talk about?"

"Anything. Where are you from? What do you like to do?"

"Well, I'm—oww—I'm from Forks, Washington. I've lived—oww—there since my mother died when I was—oww—five."

My train of thought kept getting interrupted by a needle puncturing my skin.

"Sorry, but I don't have anything to numb the area with."

"It's okay. You're helping me."

"Hey, Bella, can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Okay…" He made it seem like he was asking me to tell him some deep, dark secret.

"How did you get this scar on your chest?"

"Do you have a bad memory? You saw James, you know what he did."

"No, I mean the other scar on your chest, the one opposite of the one James gave you."

"Oh, that." Of course he would notice that. "I got that when I was 13."

"What happened?"

"Someone dragged a knife across my chest. On purpose."

"What?!"

"Yeah. I was…raped when I was 13. I was walking to the store when this guy saw me and offered me a ride. He seemed really nice, so I agreed. He drove me to one of the forests, threw me on the ground, and raped me, holding a knife to my throat the whole time.

He got bored with that and cut me up on my chest and my arm." I held up my other arm and showed him the faded scar. "I never forgot him. I never saw him again…until last night. James was the one who raped me when I was 13. I never forgot his voice, the way he called me sugar…"

Suddenly, Edward's arms were around me. "Don't worry, Bella. He'll never hurt you again. He can't hurt you again. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

"Oh, Edward!" I wrapped both my arms around his neck, ignoring the pain in my injured arm when I did this. I crushed my lips to his, unable to help myself.

I was prepared to pull back, embarrassed with my emotional outburst, but Edward's lips were moving with mine, unspoken desire passing between them.

Our lips moved in perfect rhythm. The only thought that passed through my mind was how I never wanted Edward to stop.

He moved his lips from mine and pressed them to my neck, sucking at the hollow of my throat.

"Oh my god!" I gasped. I had never experienced so much pleasure from kissing in my life.

His hands trailed up and down my bare back, making circles around my shoulder blades.

The blanket was still wrapped around me. I had a sudden desire to rip it away, exposing myself completely to him. Before I had a chance to act on that thought, Edward pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"What are you apologizing for?" I asked. "I'm the one who attacked you." I felt my face go bright red.

"It's not appropriate to start making out with someone when you're trying to give them stitches. Not that I didn't enjoy that." He gave me a big smile.

I smiled back at him. "Well, I'm with you there, buddy."

He grabbed my hand and held it in his. He continued to stitch my wounds with his free hand. I was shocked to see he was able to perform perfect stitches with only one hand. What had I done to deserve someone like him?

"There," he said. "All done."

"Wow, thanks. I've never had a more enjoyable visit to the doctor," I joked.

I leaned toward him and planted a kiss on his lips.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, preventing me from pulling away. I didn't object.

I felt Edward's tongue against my lips, so I parted mine to allow him access. I felt his tongue enter my mouth and make contact with mine.

Our tongues moved together perfectly.

He laid me on the ground, not breaking our kiss, and knelt over me, bringing my arms over my head.

His hands moved from my wrists to my neck, but they didn't stop there.

They kept trailing down until they reached my breasts, still covered by the blanket.

He yanked on the blanket, pulling it down and exposing me. His massive hands instantly covered my breasts and I had to fight everything in me to keep from screaming out in pleasure.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he kept palming my tits.

His lips moved to my neck, trailing kisses down my throat.

His nose brushed the length of my throat, then he was nibbling at my ear.

I let out an involuntary shiver, and I felt him smile into my throat.

"Oh, Edward."

"Oh, Bella."

I wondered if we were going to move beyond just kissing soon.

The same idea seemed to be on Edward's mind, too.

He grabbed the blanket and was starting to pull it down further when there was a knock at the door.

"Ugh," he groaned, rolling off of me. "What?"

I pulled the blanket back over my chest, covering me as the door opened and Emmett walked in.

"Hey little bro, Bella."

"What do you want Emmett?"

"I just came to check on Bella, see how she's doing." Emmett was smirking at me, as if he knew _exactly_ what he had just interrupted.

"I'm fine. Edward's a very good doctor."

"In more ways than one."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, Edward!" he moaned imitating my sighs of pleasure perfectly.

I gasped. "You—you—you—"

"Don't worry. It's not like I couldn't guess this was going to happen, and when Edward brought you in here alone to give you stitches, well, I only had to have the intelligence of a 3rd grader to guess what would follow."

I felt my face turning redder by the minute.

"Well, at least you found someone, Edward. After everything with—"

"Emmett!" Edward cut Emmett off. What had he been trying to say? Everything with what?

"Well, it's nice you two have found each other. This crash wasn't such a bad thing after all."

"Yeah, you and Rose seem to be enjoying each other's company."

"And then Whitlock and Alice."

"What?" I asked.

"Jasper and Alice. They're definitely together. I can tell these things, and Jasper and Alice are together. The way he looks at her. Like I said, this crash wasn't the worst thing after all. I guess it brought us all together."

He smiled at us. I didn't say anything, but I agreed with Emmett. I may have lost Jacob in the crash, but I found Edward.

There were three things I was positive about. One, I wasn't feeling sad about Jacob anymore. Second, there was this feeling, and I couldn't explain it, but this feeling that Edward and I were meant to be together. And third, I was completely in love with him.

**Next time, back to single character POV and flashbacks. I think I'm going to go with either Jasper or Alice. Let me know if there's one you'd like to know about more. Oh, and sorry this was kind of long. I just couldn't stop writing!**


	9. Chapter 8: Time Passes

Chapter 8: Time Passes

APOV

"_Mary Alice Brandon! Get out of bed or you're going to be late for school!"_

_I groaned and rolled over in bed, pulling my pillow on top of my head. I hated it when my mom called me by my full name._

"_Alice! Get up!" She was pounding on my door and twisting the doorknob. _

_Ugh. Time for school. I threw off my covers and got out of bed, pulling on my blue silky robe and stepping into my black Ugg slippers._

_I raised my arms above my head, yawning._

_I checked the clock next to my bed. 7:00 am. I still had an hour before school started. Why was she harping at me?_

_I went into my bathroom and brushed my teeth. I walked back to my room and got dressed in my uniform._

_I hated having to wear a uniform to school. Luckily, they gave us some liberty._

_We didn't have a rigid uniform like some of the other private schools, but we still had guidelines. Girls had to wear a blue, grey, or red plaid skirt or black pants, a white or grey colored shirt, and then either a vest or a blazer on top. We could wear whatever shoes we wanted with the exception of sneakers. _

_Guys wore khaki or grey pants, a blue or white colored shirt, a vest or blazer, and a tie. They had to wear black shoes._

_I pulled out my short grey skirt, white shirt, and long grey vest, and got dressed. _

_I went into the bathroom and did my hair. There wasn't much to do since it was so short._

_My mom had wanted to kill me when I went to the hair stylist for a trim and came back with 12-inches chopped off. I liked it better this way—it was way easier to take care of. _

_I grabbed the gel on the counter and poured a little bit in my hand. I worked it into my hair, spiking it up. I loved being different._

_I then grabbed my cosmetics bag and did my makeup. I put on a little blush, dark eye shadow, and heavy eyeliner. _

_I went back to my room, grabbed my backpack, throwing my wallet and glasses case into it, and headed downstairs._

"_Ali!" Cynthia, my 11-year-old sister, ran towards me and gave me a hug._

"_Hey, Cindy. Are you ready for school?" _

"_Yeah. Rachel already made me lunch and packed it."_

_She was dressed in her uniform. The elementary school had a strict uniform. Cynthia had to wear a knee-length plaid skirt, a white shirt, a blue blazer, and a tie._

_She grabbed her pink backpack and took my hand._

"_Hank's waiting for us."_

"_Okay, let's go."_

_We went outside where Hank, our driver, was waiting in the limo to drive us to school; me to Marymount High, Cynthia to Good Shepherd._

_Hank dropped me off first since I started earlier._

"_Bye, Cindy. Have a good day." I leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek._

_I walked into Marymount High, an all-girls private school, and headed to my locker. I grabbed my calculus book and my copy of __Frankenstein__, and headed to first period English with Mr. Berty._

_I slid into my seat, pulled my knees to my chest, pulled __Frankenstein__ out of my bag, and started reading. I was already ahead of what we were supposed to have read for class, but I loved Mary Shelley and hadn't been able to put the book down._

_Amy Sinclair sat down next to me, Hannah Ritterbush in front of me and Lily Simon behind me. _

"_Hey, Alice," Amy greeted me, smiling sweetly._

"_Hi."_

"_Did you have a nice weekend, Alice?" Hannah asked._

"_It was okay. Just hung out with my sister."_

"_I love your vest, Alice. Where did you get it?" Lily asked._

"_Neiman and Marcus. My mom had Louise get it for me." Louise was our nanny. Well, she was more of Cynthia's nanny than my nanny._

"_How nice," Amy remarked. Why was she even talking to me? We hated each other, and Lily and Hannah did whatever she did._

"_Did you guys want something?"_

"_We just wanted to know why you decided to cut all your hair off like an ugly lesbian."_

_Of course. I couldn't go one day without someone calling me a dyke or a lesbian. Couldn't they have waited until lunchtime to start?_

"_Mr. Berty?" I asked, raising my hand._

"_Yes, Alice?"_

"_May I go to the bathroom, please?"_

"_Yes, you may. Quickly please. We're going to discuss today's reading after the announcements."_

_I grabbed my glasses case and left the room, walking down the hall towards the ladies room._

_Once inside, I looked around, checking that no one else was there. It was empty._

_I put my glasses case on the sink ledge and opened it. Inside, there were three razor blades, a pair of scissors, and my metal protractor._

_I rolled my right sleeve up so my forearm was exposed. It was covered in scars._

_O picked up one of the razor blades and pressed it into my skin. I dragged it across my arm, feeling it cut into my skin. Blood oozed out from where the razor had just been._

_The cut relieved some of the pain I was feeling from my conversation with the three musketeers, but not all of it._

_I wonder what would happen if I dragged it across my wrist…_

_I put the razor against my wrist and pulled it across, feeling the blood pool out of my body._

_I watched the blood drain from my body for a few minutes before I started feeling dizzy._

_I could barely stand up. I started walking towards the door when I felt my knees buckle and my head hit the tiled floor of the bathroom._

********

I was sitting around the fire on Jasper's lap. There was no place I would rather be.

I leaned my head against his shoulder and sighed.

His arms were wrapped around my waist.

Everyone was sitting around the fire, waiting for Bella. She was still in her hut with Edward, getting cleaned up.

I looked over at Cynthia. She was sitting next to a teenage boy whose name I didn't know and an older girl.

I caught her eye and smiled at her. It was nice she found someone to talk to besides me and Jasper. I loved my little sister with all my heart, but it was nice to finally be able to be alone with Jasper.

I saw the boy whisper something in her ear. She laughed and pushed his shoulder.

Aww, she was flirting with him. I guess this island was good at helping people find love, or whatever it was.

I had found Jasper, Rosalie had found Emmett, and I was pretty sure Bella and Edward were together now.

Jasper moved his hand to my back and was rubbing it up and down. It felt very nice.

I looked at him, and he smiled at me. I bent forward and gave him a kiss on the lips. It felt so natural, kissing Jasper, like I had been doing it my whole life.

The truth was, I had only kissed one other guy, I was 20-years-old, and had only been kissed once. I was still a virgin, too.

All Jasper and I had done so far had been lightly kiss on the lips. We hadn't made out or anything like that.

I looked over at Rosalie Hale, playboy model, and Emmett Cullen, football player.

They were obviously having sex. I could tell. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other.

Everywhere Rosalie went, Emmett followed, never losing contact with her. He always had his hand around her waist, whether they were walking, sitting, or just talking.

I kept my head against Jasper's shoulder, and he pulled me closer.

He turned his face toward mine and pressed his forehead to mine. His noses grazed across my cheek, then he pressed his lips to mine.

After a moment, I pulled back and I felt Jasper heave a sigh. I could tell he was getting frustrated. Here he was, a 25-year-old movie star, known for having high profile, public relationships with beautiful actresses, and then there was me, a 20-year-old heiress, who never had a boyfriend.

Not that the public knew that. They thought I was this wild child who was always partying and sleeping with random guys. That's what the tabloids printed when I went to rehab when I was 17.

No one knew it was for depression. No one knew I tried to kill myself at school.

When the ambulance came, all the girls at Marymount thought I'd passed out. After word got out that I was at the Orange Coast Recovery rehab clinic, people assumed I had a drinking problem or was a drug addict because that's what they specialize in. No one realized they also have a good reputation for treating depression.

My parents were fine with people assuming that. They would rather people think that their daughter liked to have a good time, then have everyone know she dragged a razor across her wrist at school.

They never even bothered to find out why I did it. They just pushed their problem, me, off to some expensive rehab center in Orange County so they could continue to attend parties and movie premieres and balls.

Jasper's hand rubbing my back brought me back to reality. I don't know why I was constantly dwelling on my high school problems. I was out of school and done with all the stupid drama from back then.

I would never see any of the girls who made my life miserable again, so I should just forget them.

"Let's go for a walk," Jasper whispered in my ear.

I nodded and hopped off his lap. He took my hand and we walked into the jungle.

We were walking for a few minutes when Jasper let go of my hand, grabbed my waist, and spun me around, pushing my back into the nearest tree.

"Jas, wha—" I didn't have a chance to finish my questions; Jasper's lips prevented me from speaking.

He attacked me with such ferocity that I didn't know how to resist. His hands were exploring my body, running up my side, snaking under my shirt.

This wasn't right. I didn't feel comfortable with this. I put my hands on his chest and gently pushed him back.

He was a lot stronger than I was, but he understood what I wanted.

"What?" he asked, a little shocked.

"I'm sorry, Jasper, but this is all a little new to me. I mean, I've only kissed one other guy before you." I blushed a little. It was embarrassing telling him this. He had had a lot of girlfriends before, so he was probably expecting someone more experienced than me.

"Oh," was all he said.

I looked at the ground, too humiliated to meet his eyes. I felt his hand on my chin, and he raised my face so my eyes met his.

"Alice, it's okay. I don't care that you've only kissed on other guy. I like you. A lot. You're funny, sweet, beautiful, and you drive me crazy."

Wait…did he just call me beautiful? No one had ever said I was beautiful before. I smiled a huge smile at him.

"Well, I like you too, Jasper. A lot. You're funny, kind, understanding, and probably the greatest guy I've ever met." I leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on his cheek.

He sighed and laid on the jungle floor.

"I know this is frustrating for you," I said to him, "but I'm just not ready yet. I promise when I am, you'll be the first to know." I laid down next to him and rested my head on his chest.

He put his arm around my shoulders and kissed me on the top of my head.

We laid on the ground for a while, not saying anything. Jasper kept his arm wrapped around me tightly the entire time.

"Hey, Alice, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What's with the scars on your arm?"

Crap. He noticed those.

"They're nothing. Just cat scratched from before I left." I hadn't realized he noticed the old scars on my arm. I'd have to make sure I hid them from everyone else.

"Alice, let me see your arm." I held out my left, unmarked arm to him.

"See, nothing."

"Your other arm."

I hugged my arm close to my chest. When he saw the scar on my wrist, he would realize why I had been in rehab when I was 17. He would think I was some crazy, suicidal girl.

I wasn't. Not anymore, at least.

He grabbed my arm, and I let him hold it in front of him.

He looked at it, not saying anything.

"So this is why you went to rehab?"

"Yes. Orange Coast Recovery has a great depression program. My parents thought it would be best if I was…away from people for a while, so they sent me there."

"Oh."

"It was really so I wouldn't inconvenience them, Jas, you know who my parents are. They're high society; they go to parties and balls. They don't stay home to take care of their disturbed teenage daughter—they find other people to do that for them."

Why was I even telling him this? We had only known each other for a few weeks. Maybe it was because I had been in love with Jasper Whitlock ever since I had seen him in _Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones_ as Anakin Skywalker.

He was so cute in that movie. I was always a big _Star Wars_ fan, so I went to see it. After the first time, I went six more times. Then, I saw him again in _Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith_.

It was embarrassing to realize that I was now kind of dating the actor whose poster was hanging in my room.

"Alice?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about…things."

"Like?"

"Nothing. Just stuff from when I was in high school. I mean, it wasn't that long ago. Don't you ever get annoyed with me, that I'm just a 20-year-old girl, barely out of high school?"

"Alice, I could never get annoyed with you. When I look at you, I don't see some silly little girl. I see a strong, powerful woman who doesn't let her past dictate who she is now. I know what the scars on your arm mean. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I'll listen if you do. That's what people do for the person they love."

Wait, did he just say he loved me? He did, he said for the person they _love_.

Oh my god.

Jasper Whitlock just told me he's in love with me.

And I was just sitting next to him, saying nothing, like an idiot.

"I've been in love with you since I was 14!" I blurted out, unable to stop myself.

I looked at him, mortified with myself, and buried my head in my lap.

I heard him laugh. "Alice, that is the cutest thing I've ever heard." He put his arms around me and pulled me onto his lap.

His lips were on mine a moment later. He pulled back after a minute, looking me in the eyes.

A mischievous smile crept onto his face, and he started tickling.

"Jas…haha…stop…I can't…haha…breathe…stop…haha" I gasped, laughing the whole time.

We heard footsteps approaching. Jasper stopped tickling me, but we both remained sitting on the ground.

"I thought I heard your laughter, Alice," I heard someone call.

"Cynthia, over here!" I called out.

Cynthia walked toward us with the boy she had been sitting with earlier.

"Cynthia, why are you just strolling through the jungle? You shouldn't be walking around alone after what happened with Bella."

"I'm not alone. Seth walked with me. We just wanted to go for a walk and clean up a little at the waterfall."

"I don't know how I feel about my little sister walking through the jungle with a boy to go _clean up_."

"Well, why don't you and Jasper come with us? It's not that far from here, and you guys probably could use a bath after wandering through the jungle all night. I already grabbed the shampoo." She held up Rosalie's shampoo.

"That's a great idea Cynthia. Alice and I could use a nice refreshing dip in the river," Jasper said, answering for me.

Jasper, Seth, Cynthia, and I headed toward the waterfall, talking.

"So, what ended up happening here last night when we all when to go look for Bella?" Jasper asked Seth.

"Nothing really. Cynthia and I were the oldest, so we watched the real young kids. Mostly we all hung around the fire, then everyone went to bed. Cynthia and I stayed up to keep guard, just in case someone did come to the camp. We didn't want any of the kids to get taken.

Then, a few hours after everyone left, the group that went around the forest came back. They hadn't seen anything, so they decided to return to camp. Cynthia and I then went into the hut to go sleep. When we woke up this morning, everyone had returned except you guys. We were all preparing breakfast when Emmett and Rosalie walked back into camp.

They didn't say anything, but then you, Alice, and that new guy walked in, followed by Edward carrying Bella."

Cynthia was walking next to Seth. She kept stealing looks at him when she thought I wasn't looking.

We arrived at the waterfall. Seth ripped off his shirt and canonballed into the water, getting Cynthia and I wet. Jasper followed him in.

I sat down at the water's edge and Cynthia joined me.

"So, you and Jasper are together now." It was a statement, not a question. "This must be like your dream come true."

"Yeah, I guess. He's really sweet and kind. He doesn't seem like the other guys in Hollywood. Enough about me. What's with you and Seth? You can barely keep your eyes off him. What happened last night?"

Cynthia turned a deep shade of red and wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Cynthia…do you like him?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Aww, that's so cute! So what happened last night to make you like him?"

"Well, it was just us sitting by the fire. All the other kids were sleeping. For a while, we were just talking about life before the crash. He told me about his school, and I told him about Marymount and how much I hate it there.

Somehow, we started talking about relationships. I told him I hadn't had a boyfriend or anything. I mean, it's hard when there are no guys at your school. He said he had never had a girlfriend either. Apparently, all of the girls at his school are really ugly.

We were sitting kind of close. He puts his hand on mine and says, 'Not beautiful like you.' And then, I don't know, I just kissed him. I couldn't help it. And he kissed me back. But then the one group returned, so we went to sleep in his hut after that."

"Wait, you guys shared a hut last night?"

"Nothing happened, don't worry. I just didn't want to be alone last night. But we talked for a little bit before we fell asleep, and we decided we're boyfriend and girlfriend now."

"Cynthia, your first boyfriend!"

"Yeah, I know. Are you and Jasper like boyfriend and girlfriend too?"

"Well, not exactly. We haven't talked about it or anything. But I guess we sort of are."

"Isn't this cool, Ali? I mean, we crash on this island, and we both end up with boyfriends!"

"Yeah, I guess it is kind of neat. I never expected to find love on an island in the middle of the ocean." I laughed to myself.

"What are you girls doing? Aren't you going to come swimming with us?" Seth called over to us.

"In a minute, Seth. Can't I talk to my sister?" Cynthia shot him a big smile.

Seth swam over to us and reached his hand out to Cynthia. She took it, still smiling.

In an instant, she was in the water. Seth had pulled her in.

"Seth!" She was laughing.

He started swimming away, so she chased him, laughing the whole time.

Jasper came over to me, hair glistening from the water.

"Well, are you coming in or not?"

"Yeah, I am. Let me at least take off my jeans." I slipped off my jeans, but left my tank top on. I had on a pair of lacy pink boy shorts from Victoria's Secret. I slid off the edge into the water into Jasper's arms.

He picked me up, then promptly dropped me back into the water, causing me to become completely submerged.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically.

"My pleasure."

For an hour, Jasper, Seth, Cynthia, and I swam around. There was lots of splashing and dunking. Eventually, all of us washed our hair and got out of the water, drying off.

We all headed back to camp.

********

"_How are you feeling today, Alice?" Dr. Snow was looking at me, waiting for my answer._

"_Fine."_

"_I thought today we could talk about the incident at school. That is the reason your parents sent you here."_

"_I know."_

"_So what happened that day?"_

"_I was in English, my first period class, waiting for the announcements so we could start discussing our reading from _Frankenstein_. Amy, Hannah, and Lily all sat by me._

_I thought it was weird, since Amy hates me. It's her mission in life to make me miserable. She always makes fun of me, and ever since I cut off all my hair, she's started calling me a lesbian._

_Well, I was reading the book, starting the next reading because I really liked the book, when they start asking me about my weekend. It was normal until Amy asks me why I cut my hair like a lesbian._

_I went to the bathroom to deal with it the way I always dealt with Amy. I started cutting my arm, when I realized the pain wasn't going away. I just wanted it all to stop. I wanted people to stop teasing me. I wanted girls to stop calling me a lesbian. I just wanted it all to stop._

_I put the razor on my wrist and sliced my vein open. I just stood there for a couple minutes until I started to feel dizzy and eventually passed out._

_Mr. Berty sent someone in the bathroom to look for me when they saw me on the floor, unconscious. They sent for the ambulance, and I went to the hospital. It was there that my parents told me they were sending my here."_

"_And how did you feel about that?"_

"_It kind of pissed me off. It was annoying that they just got to decide what was going to happen to me. I had no say in it whatsoever."_

"_Why do you think Amy's comment made you try to kill yourself that day?"_

"_I don't know. I think I had just been dealing with her shit for so long that I finally snapped, and slicing my arm open wasn't doing the trick anymore."_

"_Did you really want to kill yourself?"_

"_Yes. I just didn't want to have to deal with anything anymore. I thought if it all just ended, it would be better for everyone."_

"_Do you like it here?"_

"_It's not bad. It's a little lonely since there aren't many other patients, but I've become friends with one of the other patients, Mark."_

"_It's good to develop friendships with others here. We like to see our patients interacting."_

"_Yeah. Mark is here for drug addiction. He was telling me about it the other day."_

"_Do you miss your family?"_

"_Yes. I wish they would come and visit me. I guess my parents are too busy to come here, and they wouldn't let sister come alone. She's only 11." I looked at the ground sadly. I really wished I could see Cynthia. I really wanted to go back home._

"_I'm sure your family will come to visit soon." Dr. Snow glanced at our watch. "Well, that's our session for today. I'll see you tomorrow. We can talk more about your family, and maybe how that played into your cutting. Have a nice day, Alice." _

_Dr. Snow led me out of her office and walked me back to the recreation room. Mark was in there, playing cards._

_I went and sat at the table with him._

"_How'd it go today?"_

"_She wanted to talk about school. And the bathroom."_

"_I see." I had told Mark all about what happened that day at school. I trusted him. Anyways, he had told me about his drug problems. I really liked spending time with him._

"_What's wrong?" he asked me._

"_I guess…I guess I just miss my family. I haven't seen them since that day at the hospital. I really miss my sister. I wish I could go home and see her." I sighed._

"_You want to go home?" he asked._

"_Yeah."_

"_I can help you," he said. "Just sneak out of your room tonight and meet me in mine at midnight."_

"_Why?"_

"_Just do it. You won't be sorry."_

"_Mark Williams, please report to Dr. Snow's office for therapy."_

"_I'll see you tonight." He kissed my forehead lightly, then walked toward Dr. Snow's office for his counseling._

********

Another month had passed, and we were still on this island with no hope of survival.

Each day would pass, and we still saw no sign of anyone besides us. No planes ever flew over the island. We never saw any boats in the distance. We were stuck here, doomed to spend the rest of our lives on this island.

It had now been 67 days since the plane crashed. A lot had changed since that fateful day.

Jasper and I were now much more serious. We had progressed past second base, heading towards third. He was still very careful with me, waiting for me to show him I was ready.

Bella, Rosalie, and I had all gotten to be great friends. We spent our days on the beach, lying in the sun, watching our guys hunt crabs and various other fish.

We hadn't had any other encounters with the natives, but we had the rifles we stole from them hidden in Emmett's, Jasper's, and Edward's huts. We were still anticipating them to come and attack us in retaliation for James' death.

I could tell Rosalie and Emmett had moved past the stage of just hooking up. The way Rosalie looked at Emmett, it was obvious they were falling in love.

Bella was in love with Edward. She told me that one day when we went to go swimming in the river. She told me he had told her he loved her, and she realized she was in love with him too.

She said it wasn't like how she felt with Jacob—it was a million times stronger.

It was like this island brought people together with their soul mates.

Jasper felt like my soul mate. Whenever we were together, it felt like we were meant to be together.

Bella, Rosalie, and I were lounging on the beach again. Cynthia was in the jungle, swimming with Seth and his sister Leah.

Jasper, Emmett, and Edward walked up to us, their arms full of crabs.

"Good hunting trip?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah baby. We caught a bunch. This should last us for the week, assuming Newton doesn't eat them all in one night like last week." He let out a booming laugh.

Emmett and Newton were getting along now. I think it had to do with the fact that they were away from football, and Emmett had found Rosalie, so he no longer hated Newton for stealing Holly from him.

Jasper dropped his crabs off in the fire pit, then came back over to me and lifted me off the ground in and into his arms. He planted a big kiss on my lips.

"Let's go for a walk, Jas," I said to him.

He set me on my feet and took my hand. The two of us walked into the jungle, chatting as we moved deeper into the jungle.

I started getting nervous as we were walking. I was ready. I knew I was ready. I was starting to get nervous, because I didn't know what to do.

I didn't know how to be sexy or seductive. I didn't know what to do. Jasper had been with a lot of other women, women who knew what they were doing. I was an innocent little girl compared to them. How could I compete with that?

We came to a little meadow in the jungle. The ground was mossy and green. There were beautiful flowery plants all around, and a little patch of sunlight broke through the trees, making the ground sparkle.

I stopped walking and sat down on the ground, gesturing for Jasper to join me. He did.

As soon as he sat next to me, I pounced. I was on top of him in an instant, kissing him with a fiery passion that I had never felt before.

Jasper kept his hands securely on my waist, too shocked to do anything else. He hadn't been expecting me to jump on him like that.

I moved my hands from his neck to the bottom of my shirt and threw it over my head, breaking the kiss. The next minute, I was pulling his shirt off.

"Alice, are you sure about this? Are you sure you're ready?"

"Jasper, I love you. I truly love you. I've never been surer about anything else in my life."

I undid the button on Jasper's jeans while he undid mine. In an instant, we were both standing there, our clothes on the ground around us.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear, undoing the clasp on my bra.

"I love you, too," I said to him, sliding my thumbs into the waistband of his boxers.

He bent his head down and pressed his lips to mine.

********

"_Mark? What's going on?" I whispered, closing the door to his room._

"_I'm helping you get out of here, that's what's going on."_

"_Mark! You can't! We'll both get into so much trouble!"_

"_Alice, I know you want to go see your sister. This is the only way you can."_

"_Mark—"_

"_Listen, I have someone waiting outside with a car. They'll take you wherever you want to go. I'm going to go distract the nurse on duty. You'll have five minutes to get out."_

_He looked at me._

"_There's just one thing I want to do before you leave." He placed his hand on the back of my neck and pulled my face towards his, pushing his mouth against mine into a kiss._

_After a minute, he pulled away and whispered in my ear, "I love you."_

_He ran out of the room a minute later. I saw him walk past his room again, gesturing to me that it was safe for me to get out. _

_I walked out the front door of the clinic. There was a car waiting there, the passenger door open._

"_Are you Alice?" the driver asked._

"_I am."_

"_I'm Jeff. Where can I take you?"_

"_9712 Oak Pass Road in Beverly Hills."_

"_One of those rich kids, eh?"_

"_Yeah, I'm sort of an heiress. My dad owns Brandon hotels."_

"_So you're Alice Brandon? I was reading in the tabloids that you were in rehab for some sort of addiction. They were saying it was drugs, but you don't look like an addict to me."_

"_I'm not. I was in for depression."_

"_Gotcha."_

_We sat in silence for the rest of the trip. Jeff pulled up to my house close to 1am. I pressed the buzzer on the gate._

"_Can I help you?"_

"_Andrew, it's Alice. Can you let me in?"_

"_Miss Brandon? I didn't realize you were coming home."_

"_It's a surprise. Can you open the gate?"_

"_Yes ma'am."_

_The gate opened up, and Jeff drove up the long driveway. I hopped out of the car and thanked him. "Tell Mark thanks for me. And give him this." I pressed a small piece of paper with my number on it into his hands._

_Jeff waved as he left, driving back down the driveway._

"_Miss Alice! Miss Alice!" Rachel was running out of the house to greet me. She pulled me into a hug._

"_Hi, Rachel."_

"_Oh, Miss Alice! It's so wonderful to see you. I'll have John go and rouse your parents. They'll be so happy to see you."_

_I went inside and sat in the living room. I was kind of tired, but I had to face my parents now. They would not be happy._

_Sure enough, my parents came storming down the stairs a few minutes later._

"_Alice?" my mom asked, unsure that I was really there. "What are you doing home? You're supposed to be at Orange Coast Recovery!"_

"_Mom, I can't stand it there. I'm lonely and no one ever comes to visit. I'm better now. I don't need to be there anymore. I'm ready to be home."_

"_Alright. I'll call the school tomorrow and we'll get you back in classes next week."_

"_No. Mom, I can't go back to that school. I'll go right back to the way I was before if I have to be in classes with girls like Amy Sinclair."_

"_Okay. We'll call a tutor to home school you for the rest of the year. Well, Cynthia will be happy to see you."_

"_It's nice to have you home, sweetie." My dad bent down and gave me a kiss on my forehead._

_A week later, I was being homeschooled. I loved it. I loved my teacher, and I didn't have to deal with the girls at my school anymore._

_I was happy to be out of rehab. I was able to go to the mall when I wanted and go see movies. The only thing I missed was Mark._

_He hadn't called, but it was probably because he didn't have access to a phone._

_I heard a honk outside my door. I looked out and saw Jeff standing by his car._

_I went outside, unsure why he was here._

"_Hi, Alice."_

"_Hey, Jeff. What are you doing here."_

"_I came here because I need to tell you something. Mark was released last week. This morning, I went over to see him. He didn't answer the door, so I went inside. He was on the floor, dead. The doctors said he OD'd on pain meds last night."_

"_Mark's…dead?"_

"_Yes. I'm so sorry."_

_I fell to my knees as the tears pooled out of my eyes._

********

"Alice?"

"Mm?"

"I love you."

"I know."

We were laying on the ground in the meadow. I could never remember feeling so happy.

Jasper and I had been compatibly physically, which came as a relief to me. I was worried that something would go wrong, and Jasper would realize he didn't really love me.

Jasper was tracing shapes on my bare back. I was running my fingers over his chest.

"I suppose we should head back before they send someone to look for us."

"Yeah, I guess," Jasper agreed.

We both got up and got dressed in our clothes again. Jasper grabbed my hand and we walked back to camp.

As we walked on to the beach, Rosalie ran towards us, tears in her eyes.

"Rosalie, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Alice, I don't know what happened. They just came and—and—we couldn't do anything."

"Rose, what's going on?"

"The natives. Emmett, Cynthia, Seth, Leah, and I were swimming. I had gotten out to get changed. I was about 20 feet away when they approached. There were 10 of them, all of them armed. They—they—they tried to take them. Emmett had a gun with him and started firing at them.

The fired back and—and—some of us got hit."

"Who got hurt?"

"Cynthia."


	10. Chapter 9: Complications

Chapter 9: Complications

EmPOV

"_Okay boys, you know the rules. You take a shot for everything you've done."_

"_Why are we even playing this fucking game? It always ends in disaster."_

"_Shut your mouth Jackson. I Never is a quality game and it's a nice way to get hammered."_

"_Why do you care about getting trashed on a school night, Cullen?"_

"_School reports came out today. Do you think I want to face my parents sober after they see my marks for this term?"_

"_True. Alright bitches, get your shots."_

_All the guys grabbed a shot glass and sat around the poker table. Every Wednesday, we usually played cards, but tonight we decided to play some drinking games. _

"_Okay, Cullen. Since this was your idea, why don't you start?"_

"_Fine. I never failed a class. Drink up ladies, since I know almost all of you have." Almost everyone at the table did a shot then poured themselves a new glass for the next round._

_Jackson went next. He was probably going to say something so I would have to drink. "I never hooked up with another guy's girlfriend." Son of a bitch. Was he trying to get me killed? Once I took the shot, they were all going to ask me about it, and I couldn't exactly tell Dan I slept with Charlotte, especially since they're still going out. Fuck, why did I ever tell Jackson about that?_

_I took my shot, and not surprisingly, I was the only one who did._

"_Who was it, Cullen? Do we know him?" Just like I predicted, they were all trying to get information out of me._

"_I don't kiss and tell. Alright, who's next?" I asked, shooting Jackson a dirty look. _

_The game went on for another hour while all of us took shot after shot after shot. We learned interesting things about each other, like the fact that Nate had sex with a prostitute and that Fred had been to jail. All in all, it was in interesting game._

_Finally, Jackson looked at the clock and realized it was almost 11, so we all needed to get home before our parents killed us._

_I got up, staggering a little as I walked._

"_Emmett, are you sure you're able to drive? You look pretty trashed," Jackson said to me as I walked out to my car._

"_J, I'm fine. Seriously. I'm a little buzzed, that's all. I'll be fine. Anyways, it's only a 3-mile drive. What could happen in 3 miles?"_

"_If you're sure. Well, see you tomorrow at school if your parents don't kill you first."_

"_See you, man."_

_I got into my brand new Mercedes Benz CLK320 and drove off towards my house._

_I don't know what Jackson's problem was. I was fine driving. Anyways, there were never any cops on the road to my house. I would never get busted with a DUI even if I was swerving. I turned up the radio and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue" came on. _

_I started jamming out since it was one of my favorite songs. I wasn't really paying attention to the road, so I didn't see the man crossing the street until it was too late. By the time I realized he was there, I couldn't stop my car._

_A moment later, he hit the hood of my car, then flew into my windshield and rolled of my car onto the street. He didn't move to get up._

_I got out of my car and saw the man, lying on the ground, bleeding, not moving, not breathing._

_What had I done?_

********

"Hey, Uncle Emmett?" I looked over and saw Cynthia looking down at me. I smiled. She'd taken to calling me Uncle Emmett ever since we'd arrived on the island.

"Yeah Cynthia?"

"Me and Seth were talking, and we wanted to go swimming. Ali and Jas went for a _walk_ in the jungle, and you know she doesn't like me going anywhere by myself."

"Okay, why are you telling me this?"

"Could you take us to the waterfall, please?" She stared at me with her wide, blue eyes. How could I say no to that?

"Okay, okay, but I'm bringing Rose with me."

"Yay! I'll go get Seth." She ran off, going to look for Seth.

"Rosie!" I called out.

"What?" I looked over and saw Rosalie lying on the beach, like usual.

"Get your ass up. We're taking Cynthia and Seth to the waterfall to go swimming."

"Why? I'm quite comfortable just lying here. Why do I need to get up?"

"Just c'mon. We never go into the jungle."

"Fine." She groaned and got up off the beach, brushing the sand off her clothes.

Five minutes later, Seth, Cynthia, Rosalie, and I were walking through the jungle towards the waterfall. Rosalie and I both had a rifle slung across our back, just in case.

No one ever went anywhere without a gun. We were still being cautious in case the natives decided to come back to our camp to try and take someone again.

We arrived at the waterfall. Cynthia and Seth jumped in right away, laughing.

I put my arm around Rose's waist as we watched Cynthia and Seth in the water, flirting and having fun.

"Seth, stop!" Cynthia shrieked as Seth threw his arms around her, pulling her underwater.

I pulled off my shirt and cannonballed into the water, effectively splashing Rose. I looked over at her and saw her shoot me a dirty look.

"Hey, princess, are you going to join us or are you going to keep standing there, sulking?"

She uncrossed her arms and flipped me off.

"Love you too, Rosie."

I came up behind Seth, not making any noise, and dunked him. When he came back up for air, he was laughing.

Cynthia jumped on Seth's back, trying to push him under the water, but she was too small. Instead, he turned his head and gave her a big kiss.

How cute.

Suddenly, I felt fingers trailing up my back. I looked behind me and saw Rose there, tracing her fingers along my spine.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and put her head on my shoulder.

"Boo," she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"So, your highness, you've decided to join us common folk here in the water I see."

"Ha ha, you're _hilarious_, Emmett." She whacked me on the back of my head.

I grabbed her wrists and pulled them up, moving her so she was now in front of me. I pulled her close and gave her a kiss on her lips. She responded by throwing her arms around my neck and pushing her body into mine.

We both fell over, laughing, into the water.

"Good job, Rosie."

"Ugh, you know I hate it when you call me that."

"Would you prefer Rosalie Eleanor Hale?"

"Fuck. You," she said, emphasizing each word.

"There's the Rosalie I know and love."

She rolled her eyes at me and swam out towards Seth and Cynthia.

Seth greeted her by dunking her. When she emerged, I saw her flip him off. I chuckled under my breath and joined the three of them.

The four of us hung out in the water for an hour. Seth kept trying to dunk Cynthia when she wasn't looking, and Cynthia and Seth both tried to dunk me by holding on to my shoulders and pulling me down.

"Alright, enough," I said after their tenth failed attempt. "Anyways, we should probably get out soon and get dried off. It's going to be getting dark soon."

"Oh, c'mon! We're having so much fun! Can't we stay for another hour?" Cynthia pleaded, trying to make me say yes with her begging.

"Cyn, we can't stay here much longer. You know what's on this island. We don't know if they are in the jungle or not looking for us. If it's dark, we won't be able to see them coming. We can't take any risks."

"Like swimming in a lake," came a voice I recognized.

Felix.

Fuck.

"I see you survivors are still as trustworthy and stupid as you were when I lived with you," he said, pointed a rifle at us.

I was happy Rose was off in the trees drying off and changing. She would at least be able to get away and warn the others.

"Where's Rosalie, Emmett? I thought that bitch never left your side?" Felix sneered at me. I'd kill that son of a bitch if it was the last thing I'd ever do.

I didn't answer him. I wouldn't give Rose away if she had a chance to escape. I prayed to god she saw what was going on and ran back to camp to warn everyone and maybe get the rest of them to come so we could ambush them.

"Alec," Felix said, speaking to the Native on his right. "Go over into the trees over there and see if anyone is hiding. From what I remember, Rose and Emmett are never apart."

Alec walked over to the trees where Rose had disappeared earlier. I prayed she had left.

I heard a scream, a slap, and a thud. I shuddered.

Alec walked out of the clearing with Rose next to him. He had his gun pointed at her.

Fuck.

So much for warning everyone.

Seth, Cynthia, and I climbed out of the water and stood in a group. I counted the number of natives. There were 10. All with guns. All pointed at us.

Shit. How were we going to get out of this?

"So boys, what do you think we should do with these murderers?" Felix asked the group.

"Aro said—" the one began but was cut off.

"—but Aro isn't here. I think we should dispense some justice on behalf of James."

"You know Victoria wanted to do that personally. Anyways, none of these guys look like the one who finished him off on the security tape."

He was right. Edward had been the one who actually killed James. I had been the one who went to try and help Bella.

"Well, they probably know where the escaped prisoner is. And they have the girl. Aro said he wants her back."

"Well, what if we bring his this one?" Alec said, grabbing Rosie's arm. I felt my fists clench. "She fits the age of what he's looking for. Plus, she's prettier than the other one."

"I don't know…" Felix began, unsure if he should go along with what Alec was proposing. I still had no idea how I was going to get the four of us out of here safely. My rifle was over in the clearing where Rose had been. If we had any hope of getting out of here unharmed, we needed the guns.

"Well, how about this: we bring Aro the two girls. He said he was curious about the effects it would have on a teenager. This one looks like she's only 16," he said, pointing at Cynthia, "Then, we kill the guys. Aro can't be mad about that. They aren't the ones who actually killed James. It'll be easier to control two women instead of 4 prisoners, 2 of them men."

"I have a better idea. Take the kid and beat him up. See if he'll tell you where the rest of them are. Then we can bring Aro the girl _and_ the murderer. Laurent, you know what to do."

The man named Laurent grabbed Seth and pulled him out of our group.

"No, Seth!" Cynthia screamed, trying to run after him.

"Don't do anything stupid, little girl," Felix warned, pointing his gun in her face. She stopped in her tracks. "Now don't worry. We're not taking your boyfriend far. You'll still be able to see him."

Seth was in full view. Laurent took a knife from his belt and pressed it into Seth's skin.

"Where are the others?" he asked. Seth shook his head, refusing to give the others up.

Laurent dragged the knife along his arm. A trail of blood appeared along the wound. Laurent pressed the knife into Seth's calf. Again, he asked the same question, and again, Seth refuse to answer.

I had to give Seth credit: the kid didn't even let out a yell when the knife cut into his skin.

"Felix, it's not working! He's not even in pain."

"I have a better idea," Felix said, grabbing Cynthia and pressing a dagger into her cheek. "Tell me where your camp is, or I'll mess up your pretty little girlfriend's face."

"Don't tell him anything, Seth!" Cynthia screamed at Seth.

"Shut up! Now Seth, are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to disassemble Cynthia here, piece by piece?"

"No, Seth, don't listen to him!"

"I told you to be quiet, you bitch!" Felix screamed. He dropped Cynthia's arm and the dagger. She started backing away. He pulled out a shotgun from his jeans, pointed it at Cynthia, and pulled the trigger. She fell to the ground and didn't get up.

"Cynthia!" Seth shouted in fear and worry. He ran towards her, but stopped when Felix turned the gun on him.

"Another step, and you'll be on the ground just like her."

The rest of the natives weren't paying attention to Rose and I. Quickly, I knocked the nearest one to the ground and wrestled the rifle from him. I turned the gun on the next guy who had noticed the commotion and pulled the trigger. He dropped, and Rose grabbed his rifle.

The two of us ran for the trees. We heard shots fired after us, but we had to get hidden.

In the trees, we were able to see the group. I aimed my rifle at one of the natives, and pulled the trigger. Rose mimicked my actions. Two natives fell as if they had been hit over the head with a frying pan.

We repeated the procedure, and two more dropped.

"Felix, we've got to get out of here!" Laurent screamed.

Felix, Laurent, and the remaining natives ran in the opposite direction of us

Rose and I ran out of the trees towards Seth. I picked up Cynthia from the ground and ran with her back to camp. Seth and Rosalie trailed behind me.

Cynthia's blood poured out of her stomach and onto my arms.

I had to get her back to camp quick, or she was going to die.

********

_I ran into my house, tears streaming down my face. _

_I had no clue what to do. The only think I could think of was to get my father. If anyone knew what to do, it would be Carlisle._

"_Emmett." A stern voice came from the living room. Carlisle was sitting in his chair, waiting for me. "I want to talk about your marks."_

"_Daddy? I need your help," I whispered with fear in my voice._

"_Emmett? What's wrong?" Carlisle asked, forgetting my lousy report card._

"_I think I killed someone."_

_The two of us drove to the scene of the accident. It was no longer deserted._

_Instead, there were cop cars, ambulances, and crowds._

_Carlisle got out of his car and walked over the nearest cop. Being who he was, he could find out anything._

_Once he was finished talking to the cop, he got back in the car and we drove home._

_We entered the house and sat in the living room._

"_He's dead. The guy you hit is dead."_

"_Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit him. He just appeared out of nowhere. It was an accident. What if I tell them it was an accident?"_

"_It doesn't matter, Emmett. You were drinking, you hit someone, and you drove away. That's a DUI and a hit and run. Now that the guy you hit is dead, you're looking at jail time."_

"_Dad, I'm only 16. I can't go to jail!" I wailed._

"_What's going on in here?" Esme, my mother, asked, entering the room._

"_We have a problem," Carlisle said. "The cops are going to be looking for Emmett's car soon. If we still have it when they find it, Emmett is going to go to jail for murder."_

"_Why? What happened?" she sobbed._

"_I hit someone with my car, and they died," I said somberly._

"_Maybe we could speak to the police, explain it was an accident," Esme offered._

"_Mom, you can't turn me in! If they find out it was me, my life is going to be ruined! I won't be able to play football anymore. I won't go to college. Instead, I'll be in jail!"_

"_Carlisle, we have to do something. We can't let them take him to jail," Mom said._

"_We'll take the car downtown in the middle of the night and leave it there with the keys in the ignition. Someone will take it. We report the car stolen. Then, it's someone else's problem."_

"_Okay."_

"_Emmett, I need to stress the severity of what you've done. You killed another human being. You are not taking responsibility for your actions. Since I won't send you to jail, I think we have no other choice. We're going to have to send you away to a disciplinary camp, until you truly see the error of your ways."_

********

"Edward! Edward!" I shouted, sprinting back into camp with Cynthia in my arms.

Edward came out of his hut, looking confused. He glanced at Cynthia in my arms, and immediately sprinted over to me.

"What happened?"

"She was shot. We were over at the waterfall, when a group of them appeared. Felix was there." Edward's eyes narrowed when I mentioned Felix.

Edward had a personal hatred towards Felix ever since he kidnapped Bella.

"Anyways, they came and captured us. They tried to torture Seth to get him to give everyone up, but when that didn't work, he tried to use Cynthia. When she told Seth not to say anything, he shot her."

"Here, give her to me. I'll take her inside to try and stop the bleeding."

I handed Cynthia to Edward and he disappeared inside his hut.

I walked over to the hut we used for storage and grabbed a rifle and some extra ammo. I grabbed a backpack and put the extra ammo and a water bottle in it. I put the backpack on and slung the rifle over my shoulder.

I walked back to where everyone was. Rosalie and Seth had made it back to camp and they were sitting in the fire pit with Bella, Carmen, Eleazar, Leah, and Newton.

"Emmett, what are you doing?" Rose called out to me.

"I'm going out to track down the sons of bitches that did this to Cynthia. And when I find them, I'm gonna kill them."

"Emmett, you can't go alone! If they find you, they'll kill you!"

"Rosie, I can't let them just get away. If I know Felix, and I think I do, he's not just going to run away. He's probably back there, waiting for someone else to come along so he can use them to get Bella and Edward. I'm not going to give him that chance. I swore to myself I would kill him, and I will."

"Emmett, you can't go!"

I turned away from her and walked towards the jungle.

"If you're going to go, at least let me come with you!"

"No!" She looked shocked at me tone. "Rose, this is dangerous. I can't put you in danger like that. I'll be fine."

"Emmett, please! Don't go!" I turned away from her and walked towards the forest, ignoring her sobs, focusing on my mission to find and murder Felix.

I heard footsteps following me. "Rose, go back."

"If you're trying to commit suicide, I'll go back," said a familiar voice.

"Newton?"

"Hey, Cullen."

"What are you doing here? We hate each other. Why would you come with me ? If I die, you'll have no competition left in the NFL."

"Well, I was watching you and your girl back there, and I couldn't let you go alone. You know, Rosalie really cares about you. I just couldn't watch her like that, knowing you were going to your death out there. Plus, I want to kill the son of bitch who shot Cynthia too."

"Well, let's go. I guess I could use some company."

The two of us set off in the jungle, searching for any sign of anyone from the Natives.

We came to a fork in the jungle.

"Hey, why don't you take that path and I'll take this one, and then we'll meet back here."

I waved goodbye and Newton took the left path while I took the right one.

I had been walking for about 5 minutes when I heard the leaves rustle to the left of me.

"Newton?" I called out.

Felix stepped out of the trees right into my path. "Hello, Emmett," he greeted me, smiling.

"Stop right there or I'll shoot you!"

"Don't worry, I didn't come to kill you. I wanted to talk."

"Why would I talk to you? You might have killed Cynthia!"

"My apologies, I didn't intend to harm the girl. Things just got a little out of hand, but it ended up being a great way to get you alone. You're so predictable, Emmett. I knew if anyone got hurt, you would be the one who insisted on coming back. After that unfortunate incident when you were a teenager, you can never let someone who hurts another go unpunished."

"How did you know about that?" I asked, a note of panic in my voice. I had never told anyone, with the exception of my parents, about my hit and run. Even Edward didn't know.

"How I know isn't important. What is important is that you listen to me now. I can help you and Rose get off this island."

That made me stop dead. "What?"

"I said, I can get you and Rosalie off of this island. You just have to do one small favor for me."

"What kind of favor?"

"I need you to mark the huts where Alice, Bella, and Leah sleep. That way, we can grab them without having the entire camp know."

"You want me to hand over my friends? No way."

"I don't think you understand the situation. All you have to do is put something by their huts to indicate that they are there, and if you do that, we will give you a boat and allow you and Rosalie to leave this island. You'll get to go back to your home, and even start a life with Rosalie."

"I don't know if I can do that…"

"Here," he said, handing me a walkie-talkie, "radio me when you make a decision. We need to know soon, because we'd like to make the snatch tonight."

I looked down at the radio in my hand. "I hope you make the right decision, Emmett," Felix said, disappearing into the trees again.

I put the radio in my pocket and headed back to meet Newton.

I found him at the point we separated, waiting for me.

"Did you find anything?" he asked.

"No, noting. They must have gone back. We should head back to camp."

He nodded in agreement, and the two of us started walking back to the beach. The entire way we were walking, I kept playing Felix's conversation over and over in my head.

Could I really sell out my friends for rescue.

I had killed before. Could I hand over the others, knowing they were facing death?

What would I do to escape?

What _wouldn't_ I do to escape?

**So sorry this took so long to get posted. I've just been really busy, but I promise that they're going to be posted every couple days. I'm halfway done the next chapter, so that should be posted by Wednesday.**


	11. Chapter 10: Decisions

Chapter 10: Decisions

JPOV

"_Wee! Spin me again, S!" Natalie's high-pitched squeals of delight echoed through the trees._

"_Okay Nat. Hold on tight!" I spun my little sister around again, watching her laugh as she went higher and higher in the air._

"_Samuel, be careful!" I heard my mom's warning voice from the back porch._

"_I am, Mom!" My mom knew I would never do anything to endanger Natalie's life. She was the most important thing to me._

_Nat and I played in the backyard for another 20 minutes, then Mom called us in for dinner._

"_Meatloaf? Yuck!" I groaned, looking down at my plate._

"_Samuel Granger! You will eat it and you will like it, so stop complaining!"_

"_But Mom—"_

"_Listen to your mother!" my dad said across the table._

_After everyone had been served, we all started eating._

"_Dave, did you ever hear back from the Douglas's about the dinner party next weekend?"_

"_Jim's being difficult. He keeps saying how he wants to come, but Mary-Anne doesn't want to. If you ask me, he's just bitter about me getting the Vice President position over him."_

_Mom sighed. "That has to be it, because I saw Mary-Anne at the store yesterday, and she said they were almost sure they were coming, she just had to check with Jim and he would get back to you. The people in this town…" She broke off, shaking her head._

"_I know, Colleen."_

_Once we all finished dinner, Mom and Dad went into the family room to watch some TV, while Natalie and I went into the den and played a game._

_At 8 o'clock, we headed upstairs and got ready for bed. _

_I got into bed with Natalie and read the next chapter in _Charlotte's Web._ Mom wanted me to read it since I needed practice reading aloud. _

"_Jasper, you're in 5__th__ grade. You need to be able to read better!" She had told me before she delegated nighttime reading with Natalie to me._

_Once I finished the chapter, I looked over and saw Nat was almost asleep. I put the covers back on her and kissed her head before shutting her door and going to my room._

_I grabbed my pillow and Mr. Quack and went into my closet, closing the door behind me._

_My parents didn't understand it, but I liked sleeping in my closet. I had a walk-in closet, so it was big enough for me to sleep on the floor._

_Ever since I was five, I had slept on the floor in my closet. I only had a bed for appearance reasons; I had a mattress on the floor behind all my clothes so no one could see me. I walked into my closet and went behind where all my pants were hanging._

_I pulled up the covers and closed my eyes, falling asleep almost instantly._

"_No! No! Help! Ahhhhh!" I woke up, startled. I was sure I had just heard someone scream. I looked at my clock: it was one in the morning._

_It was just a dream. I lay back down and closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep again._

_Suddenly, I heard my bedroom door burst open. I stayed where I was, too afraid to move. Who would be coming into my room this early?_

"_Search the room! I know they have a boy too!" I heard a gruff voice order inside my room. I didn't recognize it._

"_Frank, I don't see him anywhere," another unfamiliar voice answered him._

"_Did you look in there?" the man named Frank asked._

"_No,"_

"_Well, maybe he hid in his closet when he heard his sister scream. Check it now!"_

_I stiffened on my mattress and held my breath as my closet door opened._

"_Frank, he's not here! Maybe he's at someone else's house tonight."_

"_Maybe. Fuck, he said he wanted a complete job on this family. You got the little girl, right?"_

"_Yeah, little brat wouldn't shut up. She won't be calling for help anymore," he said, laughing._

_A shiver ran down my spine. What were these men talking about?_

"_Well, let's go. The police will be here eventually. Don't wanna be caught here when they do."_

_The men left my room, laughing. I stayed where I was, not moving or making a sound._

_10 minutes later, once I was sure the men were gone, I got up and crawled out of my closet._

_My room was pitch black and there was no one else there. I walked into the hall and headed towards Natalie's room._

_I opened her door; all the lights were off in her room. I flipped the switch on her wall and gasped when the lights came on._

_Natalie was sprawled across the floor of her room, covered in blood. Her usually white bed linens were stained red with blood. There was blood splatter all over the walls in her room. _

_I looked down at Natalie again. She wasn't moving._

"_Natalie! Natalie! Get up! Natalie!" I was screaming at her, trying to get her to listen. I walked over to her body and flipped her on her back. I started crying when I saw her front of her._

_She had stab wounds all over her abdomen. Her nightgown was deep red instead of pink, and there was a long cut along her throat. _

"_Natalie, Natalie!" I cried, hoping she would somehow wake up. She didn't move._

_I laid her back down on the ground and ran to my parent's room to get them and take them to Natalie's body._

"_Mom, Dad, help!" I yelled, running into their room. They didn't answer me. _

_I went over to Dad's nightstand and turned on his lamp. I looked back at him and fell over._

_There was a kitchen knife sticking out of his throat. He had stab wounds covering his face and stomach. He wasn't breathing. _

_My mom was sitting up next to him. She had a bunch of objects sticking out of her skin. She had a screwdriver stuck through her one eye, a fork in her other eye. Her hands were raised above her head, hammered into the wall. She had pieces of glass shoved into her stomach._

_On the wall above their bed, the words "Beware!" were written in blood._

_I sprinted out of their room and ran downstairs. I ran out of the house to my next-door-neighbor's house. I started hammering on the door and ringing the doorbell._

_Mrs. McCarthy answered the door, looking pissed._

"_Samuel Granger! It's almost two in the morning. What are you doing at my house?"_

"_Please," I said, tears streaming down my face, "I need to call the police. There's been a murder at my house."_

********

"Alice?"

"Mm?"

"I love you."

"I know."

The two of us were laying on the ground in the meadow-like clearing in the jungle. Alice had her arm draped over my bare chest and rested her head over my heart.

Neither of us was making any effort to get up and head back to camp.

I looked at Alice again. She was so adorable in her pink boy shorts and matching pink bra.

My arm was around her, and I trailed my index finger up her bare back.

She moved her head so her eyes met mine, and she planted a light kiss on my lips and sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. I'm just not looking forward to going back to camp. I'm just so happy right now. I don't want to get up and go back to survivor life. I mean, when I'm back there, I'm always watching after Cynthia and getting water and standing guard and fishing—it's maddening. I just wish I could be here all day with you and never worry."

"I know what you mean. I'm always fishing or hunting with Emmett and Edward. And then I almost always have to stand guard at night. There's never any time for us to be us."

She sighed again. "I suppose we should head back before they send someone to look for us."

"Yeah, I guess," I agreed reluctantly.

The two of us got up and pulled our clothes back on. Alice had on a pink tank top and jean cut-off shorts with Timberland boots. I had on a grey tee shirt and jean shorts with sneakers.

"Okay, let's go," I said, grabbing her hand.

The two of us trekked our way back through the jungle. We passed the waterfall. I was surprised no one was there.

"I'm shocked Cynthia didn't con someone into taking her and Seth there," Alice said.

"Yeah. They love going there."

We eventually made it back to the beach. Once we got there, Rosalie ran over to us. She had been sitting in the fire pit with Bella, Leah, and Seth. I didn't see Edward, Cynthia, or Emmett.

Rosalie approached us, and I could see tears in her eyes.

"Rosalie, what's wrong?" Alice asked, sounding worried.

"Alice, I don't know what happened. They just came and—and—we couldn't do anything."

"Rose, what's going on?"

"The natives. Emmett, Cynthia, Seth, Leah, and I were swimming. I had gotten out to get changed. I was about 20 feet away when they approached. There were 10 of them, all of them armed. They—they—they tried to take them. Emmett had a gun with him and started firing at them.

The fired back and—and—some of us got hit."

"Who got hurt?"

"Cynthia."

"What?" Alice gasped.

"It was that guy, Felix. He grabbed her, jabbed a gun into her, and, and—he pulled the trigger!" Rosalie wailed before breaking out into fresh sobs.

"Where is she?" Alice asked, tears pouring down her face.

"Edward has her in one of the huts. He's trying to stop the bleeding. The rest of us are going through all the bags to look for any medicine to help fight an infection. Edward said we need to find antibiotics because that will help fight any infections that she might develop in the wound."

"Rose, I need to see her! Where is she?"

"Edward said no one is allowed to see her right now. He's been with her since Emmett brought her back and he hasn't come out once. He's trying to save her. He said he's not sure if she's going to survive this…"

Alice broke down into tears and collapsed into my arms.

"I was—supposed—to take—care—of her!" Alice sobbed, burying her face into my chest. "That's what—my parents—told me—before we left!"

I pulled her into my arms, trying to comfort her. "Shh, Alice, it's okay. It's going to be okay. You did everything you could. You couldn't prevent her from this." I felt her tears soaking through my shirt, and I just pulled her in closer.

I looked around the camp, but I still didn't see Emmett. He usually never left Rosalie's side, so it was odd that he was missing.

"Hey, Rose?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Emmett?"

She surprised me by looking super pissed. "Oh. G.I. Joe decided to take Rambo and go into the jungle for a _hunting_ expedition!"

"What are you talking about?"

"He and Newton grabbed some guns and went into the jungle to track down Felix. He doesn't care about getting hurt or killed, he just wants to satisfy the bloodlust he's feeling right now!" she said, her voice getting higher and higher.

"How long has he been gone?"

"I don't know. He left as soon as we got back from the waterfall, and he hasn't returned." She looked toward the jungle with a worried look on her face.

"I'm sure everything is fine, Rosalie. Maybe they just got lost on the way back."

"They're back!" I heard Bella's shout from the fire pit and saw her pointing over towards the opening in the jungle. Emmett and Newton emerging, both uninjured.

"Emmett!" I saw Rose cry as she flung her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. He pulled her close for an embrace, then set her down on the ground when he saw me standing with Alice.

"Whitlock, I need to talk to you," he called over to me. "We have a problem."

********

"_Jasper Whitlock! Come down to the living room right this instant!" Mrs. Telemack's voice echoed all the way upstairs into my room. I groaned aloud. What did that woman want now?_

"_Yeah?" I said, entering the room._

"_Don't 'yeah' me young man! Do you know who I just got a call from?"_

"_No."_

"_Mrs. Peters down on Willow Street. She said she saw you and Tim Byrnes spray painting the playground at the park over there. What do you have to say for yourself young man?"_

"_I didn't do it." Actually, I did. Me and Tim were bored so we decided to have some fun at the park. It was just my luck that Mrs. Peters, the town gossip, happened to see us doing it._

"_Don't lie to me, Jasper! I know and you know that you did it. I've never had a foster child that has been so keen on causing trouble. Shoplifting, vandalizing, talking back…I'm at my limit! I'm calling the agency in the morning. I just can't take it anymore! Go upstairs and pack your things! I'm sending you back to the orphanage tomorrow!"_

_I sighed and trudged up the stairs to my room to throw my stuff in my suitcases. Another year, another foster family. I was beginning to lose count of how many I had been in since my family was killed._

_After I called the police, I was placed in an orphanage given a new name. The police weren't sure if the man who hired the men to kill my family was still after me, so I became Jasper Whitlock._

_It wasn't safe for me to see my family, so the police released a statement, saying the entire family, myself included, was murdered._

_After that, I was placed in foster care, but I never stayed anywhere very long._

_In always did something to piss my foster parents off, so I was sent back to the orphanage within a few months of my arrival._

_After I finished packing, I threw myself on my bed. I reached inside my pillowcase and pulled out the worn picture I kept inside of there._

"_Mom? Dad? Natalie?" I said, looking at their smiling faces in the photograph."They're sending me back to the orphanage again. I'm sorry I let you down. I'm sorry I'm not acting the way you taught me to, Mom. I'm sorry I'm not respecting people like you always told me to, Dad. I'm sorry I'm not acting like a good brother to my foster siblings, Natalie."_

_A tear slid down my cheek as I looked at my dead family._

"_I miss you guys so much. You don't know what it's like to see families together every day and realize you'll never have that. I'll never have my mother tuck me in at night again. I'll never play catch with my dad again. I'll never get to read to Natalie to help her fall asleep._

_Why am I the one who lost everything? Why do other people get to be happy while I have to live in misery every day for the rest of my life? Why did you guys have to leave me?_

_I miss you. I miss talking with you and laughing with you. I miss Mom's warm double-fudge brownies, and Dad's advice when I didn't know what to do, and Natalie's funny stories that always cheered me up. I miss Mom's warm hugs that made all the pain go away, and Dad's happy smile that was the only thing I needed to see to brighten my day, and Natalie's gentle laugh that you couldn't help laughing along with._

_You guys were everything to me, and now you're gone. I just want to see you guys again."_

_I put the picture back in my pillow and curled up in a ball on my bed. I let the tears fall on my pillow until I was asleep, lost in the happy memories of my mom, dad, and Natalie._

********

"They want you to _what?_" I shouted after Emmett finished his explanation.

"You heard me Whitlock. Felix says they want Bella, Alice, and Leah. If I hand them over, he'll give me and Rose a boat and allow us to leave the island."

"Well, what are we going to do? You have to tell them there's no way you'll do that!"

"I would, but I don't think it'll work. I think even if I say no, they're going to come tonight and take them."

"Shit. What the fuck are we going to do?"

"We could evacuate," Bella suggested.

"We don't have enough time to get everything. And where would we go? It's not like we know this island very well. We might run into Felix while they're on their way here, and that would be even worse."

"Well what else are we supposed to do?" she asked.

"I say we all hide in the trees, wait for Felix and his gang of snatchers to come here, then we blow them away!" Emmett offered enthusiastically. It seemed like he wanted a fight more than anything.

"What about all the kids? What about Cynthia? Are we supposed to let them be here and allow them to get hit by stray gunfire?"

"Hide them. Send them with the women to hide in the jungle while we stay back to kill those sons of bitches."

"Excuse me?" I heard Rosalie clear her throat. I turned and saw her glaring at Emmett. "What do you mean, 'send them with the women?' Women aren't weak delicate creatures who need men to protect them from the bad guys. I am just as capable as you to defend this camp!"

"Just because you came with us on a rescue mission once does not make you as tough as me and it doesn't mean you're able to defend the camp."

Shut up, Emmett. Shut up, Emmett, I said to myself in my head. He's just digging himself deeper and deeper.

"So, what you're saying is women need men to protect them since they are unable to fend for themselves?"

"Basically."

"You're a pig."

"And an idiot," I heard Bella chime in.

"Yeah, women can do anything men can." I looked over and saw Alice standing with Rosalie and Bella, all three of them staring Emmett down.

"Emmett, shut up. You ladies are right. Just because we're men doesn't make us the protectors of the camp. I think before we make any decisions we should talk to Edwards first."

Right on cue, Edward walked out of his hut with blood on his hands.

"Oh my god! What did you do to her?" I heard Alice screech at him.

"Calm down, Alice. Cynthia is fine right now. I don't know how long that is going to last, seeing as I don't have proper medical supplies or a sterile environment to work in. Were you guys able to find any medications?"

"This is everything we found," Bella said, handing him a pile of pill bottles.

"Great. These will help fight any infections she might develop. Unfortunately, I don't have any clean bandages to wrap her wound with. I used my shirt, but that's not the most sterile thing and she's most likely going to develop some sort of infection, but we'll cross that hurdle when we come to it."

He looked at Alice, who was starting to panic. "You can go in and see her now. She's still unconscious."

Alice sprinted from the beach into the cabin to see her sister.

"Edward, we have a problem."

"What now?"

"Felix cornered Emmett in the jungle. They want him to mark where Leah, Bella, and Alice sleep so they can grab them tonight and take them to their camp. I have a feeling either way, they are going to take them. What are we supposed to do?"

"I say we fight!" Emmett said enthusiastically. What was his problem? Didn't he care about getting killed?

"What about everyone else in the camp?" I asked.

"Like I said before, we send them to hide in the jungle while the people who are willing to fight stay behind to kill the natives."

"You know, that's not such a bad idea," Edward admitted.

"_What?_" Bella shouted.

"You've got to be kidding me," Leah said.

"You actually _agree_ with Emmett?" Rosalie asked, shocked.

"Yes, I do. I think the only way we can get rid of these hostile natives is if we take them out. Here's what we are going to do: Emmett, I want you to radio Felix and tell him you'll put a pile of stones next to the door of Leah's, Bella's, and Alice's cottages. Tell him that their best bet is to come tonight after dark. Tell them they can wait in the jungle and watch the camp. Once the last person leaves the fire pit is the safe time to some in and snatch Alice, Bella, and Leah. Meanwhile, Emmett, Jasper, Newton, and I will be over there," he pointed to a hidden patch of trees, "with rifles, waiting for them to enter the camp. My guess is there won't be more than 10 of them. The four of us will pick them off one by one. They won't be able to see us and there are plenty of things to hide behind in case they do.

We'll have to make sure some people stay behind in the camp so they don't get suspicious. Cynthia can't move, so someone can stay in the cabin with her. I think a few other people can remain behind in their huts and still be safe. In an hour, I want Eleazar to take Bella, Alice, Leah, and everyone else away from camp. Eleazar, you know the island pretty well. I want you to take them to a place that is well hidden and protected from the natives."

Everyone was looking at Edward, shock in their faces. Rose looked like she was going to protest about being forced to leave the camp.

"I know you want to stay behind and fight, Rose," Edward said, looking at Rosalie, "but you would be better suited protecting everyone else in the jungle. You guys are going to have a tough job, watching the jungle for possible attacks from the natives. I need you to keep everyone else safe."

Rosalie nodded.

"Jasper, I need you to go and tell Alice and Cynthia the plan for tonight. See if there is anyone Alice would want staying with Cynthia." I nodded and walked over to the hut where Alice and Cynthia were.

Alice looked up as I walked in.

"We have a problem," I told her.

"I already know about the natives' plans to take me tonight."

"Well, I have a feeling you're not going to like our plan."

I told her about the plan to attack the natives when they came to seize Alice, Bella, and Leah tonight. When I got to the part about leaving Cynthia in her hut, Alice shouted in protest.

"No way! I am _not_ leaving my sister in the line of fire while I am somewhere else, safe. She could get hit again. They could go into the hut and take her!"

"Ali, it's the only option. Edward said if we move her, she could bleed out and die. Do you want to risk that?"

She looked up, furious at me. Of course she would never risk her sister's life.

"How could you ever ask that? I would _never_ do anything to risk Cynthia's life! But that's what you're asking me to do! You're asking me to leave her where there is going to be gunfire to save my own life. You want me to leave her here, alone and unprotected, so I can live? Do you know how selfish that sounds?"

"She won't be alone. Someone will be here with her, and Edward said pick someone you feel comfortable leaving her with. It can't be you or me. If they see you, they'll take you, and I'm going to be hidden, firing at them."

"Seth," she said without hesitation.

"Are you sure? I mean, he's only 16."

"I trust him with Cynthia. He'll do everything to protect her."

"Well, let's go out and tell Edward the plan."

The two of us walked back to the group, hand in hand, to tell Edward Alice's plan to have Seth stay with Cynthia.

********

"No way! No way! I am _not_ having my baby brother stay behind to help your injured sister!" Leah was shouting in Alice's face.

"Leah, chill out!" Seth was yelling at her. "I don't have a problem with it. Actually, I'd rather be here than hiding in the jungle."

"Yeah, well _I_ don't feel comfortable about you being where these Rambo wannabes are going to be shooting to kill!"

"Leah, he's going to be hidden in my hut," Edward said calmly. "He will be in no danger. You don't have to worry."

"I don't know. I just don't feel safe with him being left behind. Seth is the only family I have left!"

"I understand. I promise you, Leah, I will do everything in my power to make sure Seth remains unharmed. Even if I have to sacrifice myself, I will make sure Seth is okay."

Leah wiped away a tear and nodded, finally convinced.

Emmett had radioed Felix and told him the plan to place rocks in front of the huts where Leah, Alice, and Bella slept. The truth was, they were the huts furthest from where Cynthia was and closest to the thicket where me, Edward, Emmett, and Newton would be.

Eleazar, Bella, Alice, Leah, and the rest of the people leaving were getting ready to leave. Rose was going with them to help protect them. Me, Edward, Emmett, and Newton each had two guns. The rest of the weapons were with the evacuation group.

Sam, Emily, Seth, Garrett, and Katie were staying behind on the beach to help fool the natives that we were all still at camp.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid," Rose was saying to Emmett as the evacuation group got ready to leave.

"I promise, baby. I won't do anything to take me away from you."

"You'll be careful, won't you?" Bella said to Edward.

"I will."

"I love you, Jasper," Alice said to me, putting both of her hands on my face.

"I love you to, Alice."

"Remember, you are an actor, not an action hero, so don't act like one."

"I know."

"Promise me again."

"I promise I will come back to you. I promise I won't leave you here alone. I promise to keep you, Cynthia, and everyone else safe."

Alice wrapped her arms around my neck as she kissed me goodbye. I kissed her back, never wanting it to end. A minute later, I broke the kiss. I looked down and saw the tears coming out of her eyes.

"Shh, Ali. It's going to be okay. Nothing will keep us from being together, not even this. Now go, before it's too late." I bent down and kissed her one more time. She ran over and joined the group that was leaving. The group of us remaining behind waved goodbye to them.

Edward, Emmett, Newton, and I walked over to the thicket of trees to wait while Sam, Emily, Garrett, Katie, and Seth went to go have dinner.

As it got dark, we began to hear rustling in the trees. The five survivors remaining in camp cleaned up and went into their huts.

The four of us loaded our weapons and crouched down, preparing to defend our lives.


	12. Chapter 11: Eva

Chapter 11: Eva

EvaPOV

_Los Angeles, California May 21, 2008_

"_Eva, have you seen this?" Heather gasped, pointing at the television in our apartment._

"_What? That Japan Airlines flight 2232 is missing?"_

"_Yeah, that. How does a huge jet just go missing?"_

"_I have no idea. I was watching the coverage earlier. The reporter was saying the pilot was radioing about engine trouble one minute, then he was gone the next. They have no idea where the plane is."_

"_Scary. I'm never flying again."_

"_What do you think happened to everyone on the plane?" I asked her._

"_They're probably all dead on the bottom of the ocean with the plane."_

"_Heather!" I gasped, "That's a horrible thing to say!"_

"_Well, it's probably true. I mean, look at the facts. A huge plane goes missing midflight. It was probably thousands of feet about the earth. They're saying the pilot radioed about engine problems. The engines probably failed and the plane crashed into the ocean. Everyone either died on impact or drowned."_

"_I hope not. They said there were 267 passengers on board. I just can't imagine that they all died. We have to have hope that some of them survived."_

"_What, and they're on some uncharted spit of land like 'Gilligan's Island'? This isn't TV, Eva. This is reality, and the reality is that all 267 passengers from flight 2232 are probably dead."_

"_I just don't want to believe it."_

"_Believe it. Well, I'm heading off to work before Jeremy busts my ass for being late again." She waved to me as she walked out the door and headed to her job._

"_This just in," the reporter on the TV said. "We just received the distress call made by the pilot of Japan Airlines flight 2232, Horatio Ridgemont to air tower receiver Gregory Lussi moments before the crash. We bring you the last moments of flight 2232 before it was lost."_

"_Greg? This is Horatio, pilot of Japan Airlines flight 2232. We're flying over the Pacific Ocean, but we're having some engine trouble. We hit a bunch of turbulence, and I'm having trouble controlling the plane now."_

"_Can you set it down somewhere?"_

"_I'm over a body of water, Greg! There's no land anywhere, and I can't turn the plane around and head back to Japan. We won't make it."_

_Suddenly, there was a loud crashing noise heard in the background._

"_Fuck, what the hell was that?" Greg shouted._

"_I don't know. I don't know what's going on in the rest of the plane, only that if I don't find something soon, we're gonna—" Horatio and all the sounds from the plane. The only thing I heard was Greg shouting, "Horatio! Horatio! What happened? Horatio! Are you there?"_

_The distress call really spooked me. The entire time Horatio and Greg were talking, I could hear screams of terror in the background, which made me believe that the passengers were in trouble. And the way that the transmission just cut off…whatever happened to flight 2232, it wasn't anything good._

_********_

_Los Angeles, California June 1, 2008_

"_A Tragic Discovery!" the newspaper headline proclaimed. I brought the paper in and started to read the accompanying article. The article showed a picture of a plane surrounded by water._

"_Last night, divers made a huge discovery in the Pacific Ocean. Going on pilot Horatio Ridgemont's last statement that he was over the Pacific Ocean after leaving from Japan, divers have been searching the ocean nonstop for possible clues about what happened to Japan Airlines flight 2232 a week and a half ago. Up until now, they haven't found anything, but last night, they were met with tragedy. Divers Daniel Woodson and Penny Bolus found the wreckage of flight 2232 at the bottom of the ocean. Sadly, only half of the aircraft was there. There were many pieces of debris found around the aircraft. It looks as if the plane split into two midflight. _

_Inside the aircraft, 104 bodies were found. Scientists believe that the debris found on the ocean floor are the remains of the second half of the aircraft, guessing that the back half of the plane exploded in air. Unfortunately, it looks like all 267 passengers of Japan Airlines flight 2232 perished with their plane."_

_I gasped, putting my hand over my mouth. It couldn't be true. There had to be some survivors!_

_They still hadn't found the bodies of the remaining 162 passengers, but if what the scientists were saying was true, they never would._

_I sat down and prayed to god that there were some survivors of flight 2232 alive. I looked down at my hands, and realized that was impossible. The news was reporting the truth: all 267 passengers lost their lives on that flight._

_********_

_Los Angeles, California June 13, 2008_

"_Eva! Come here a minute." I sighed and got up out of my chair and walked into my boss's office._

"_Yes, Mr. Howard?"_

"_I have a new project for you. In a month, I'm sending you on an expedition, and I need you to track these people down and convince them to come."_

"_Mr. Howard, expeditions weren't in my job description. I'm just a personal assistant."_

"_Yes, you're my personal assistant, and you're assisting me with this expedition. I need you to find Carl Williams, Savannah Jowson, and Steven Winters."_

"_Why do you need these people? And why are you sending me on some expedition? I don't have any experience with this kind of thing. I only know how to make coffee and organize meetings. I don't have any experience with this."_

"_These people," Mr. Howard said, "are key to this mission. I realize I'm telling you to do something out of your comfort zone with minimal information, but I promise you will have all the facts. Here," he said, passing me a folder. "In here, you'll have all the information you need to find Carl, Savannah, and Steven. You'll also find information about what this expedition entails. I need you back here in one month. A ship is leaving from here on July20th, and you four need to be on it."_

"_But Mr. Howard, I still don't know—"_

"_You'll be fine. Now go."_

_I left his office, confused. I threw the folder he gave me in my bag and drove back to my apartment. Once I was inside, I sat down at the table and opened the folder. Inside, I saw four pictures, each labeled with a name. They were labeled Carl Williams, Savannah Jowson, Steven Winters, and Aro Volturi._

_I picked up the information on Carl Williams and began to read…_

_********_

_Winnsboro, Texas June 15, 2008_

_I walked up to the big white house and rang the bell. No answer. I rang the bell again. No answer. I knocked on the door. No answer._

_I walked around back to see if anyone was there. I saw a tall man in the yard walking a cow back into a fenced in area._

"_Carl Williams?" I called out._

"_Who wants to know?"_

"_I'm Eva Bruster. Jim Howard sent me to find Carl Williams."_

"_Well, what do ya want?" he asked in a Texan drawl._

"_I have a proposition for you, if you would be willing to listen for a few minutes."_

"_Why don't we take this inside. I'm sweating bullets out here."_

_I nodded and followed him inside his house._

_I looked around his living room as I followed him to the kitchen. He looked like a rancher. He had cowboy hats and horseshoes all over the walls._

_We entered the kitchen. I sat down at the table while he walked over to the sink and got a glass of water._

_He turned and faced me. "We've howdied but we ain't shook yet. I'm Carl Williams, and this is my ranch."_

"_Umm, it's nice to meet you. I'm Eva Bruster." I held out my hand, and he shook it._

"_So, Eva, what can I do ya for?"_

"_I've been sent here by my boss, Jim Howard. I'm supposed to recruit you for a mission, but I honestly don't know why he sent me here."_

"_What kind of mission?"_

"_I don't know. He said to give you this," I handed him a blue folder. "That should explain everything."_

_He opened it up and began reading the literature inside of it._

"_Does it explain in there why a personal assistant was sent out to Hicksville, Texas to recruit some hillbilly cowboy?"_

_To my surprise, instead of getting offended, Carl began to laugh. "Just because a chicken has wings don't mean it can fly."_

"_I'm sorry, what?" What the hell did he mean by that._

_He laughed again. "Sorry, I forget you westerners don't know our sayings down here. Just because I am a hick cowboy don't mean I ain't right for your little mission. I used to work for the C.I.A. and was the best tracker they had. S'long as it exists, I can find it, and I think that's what your boss wants me for."_

"_Why would he need a tracker?"_

"_Based on what you gave me here, looks like he wants to find something. It ain't gonna be easy. I never found an island no one knows exists before, but I'm up for the challenge. Consider me in."_

"_Great! Your plane ticket is in there. The boat leaves on July 20__th__, so don't be late. I'll see you then. It was nice meeting you, Carl."_

"_Nice to meet you too, Eva. See ya 'round."_

_I waved goodbye and left the ranch. One down, two to go."_

_********_

_Ekalaka, Montana June 27__th__, 2008_

"_No way, no. I'm not doing it." Savannah was sitting in a folding chair in her trailer in the Crazy Mountain Basin in Montana. She was dressed in khaki shorts that fell just above her knees, a white tank top covered in dirt, and a pair of mountaineering boots. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. She could be pretty if she put on some make up and took a shower, but she was obviously too committed to her job._

"_But Mr. Howard specifically asked for you! I'm supposed to find the people on here and get them to come on this mission."_

"_I'm sorry, but I don't have the time. I'm very busy with this latest dig, and I can't afford to miss any work. I may be on the verge of a breakthrough." She rubbed her hands together, shaking off some dirt left on them._

_Dr. Savannah Jowson was one of the country's premiere paleobotanists. I couldn't see how a world-renowned paleobotonist and an ex-C.I.A./current cowboy fit the requirements of this mission._

"_Is there anything I can do to convince you to come?"_

"_Unless you can promise me that wherever you're going there's going to be prehistoric plants that I can study, the answer is no."_

"_Will you at least look at the packet Mr. Howard made for you?" I held out the blue folder for her. _

"_I really don't have any time. I have to get back to my work—"_

"_Please, just read it. You might be interested, but you'll never know unless you look."_

"_Oh, alright." She grabbed the folder from my hands and pulled out a packet inside of it. As she began to read, her eyes got wider and wider. From fear or excitement, I didn't know._

"_Okay, it sounds interesting and it's the kind of thing I've always dreamed of doing, but I don't see how I can afford to take off for some adventure. I'm not exactly rich."_

"_Mr. Howard said he can pay you 1.2 million dollars if you go on this expedition."_

"_Are you serious?"_

"_Yes. He said as much as you need, he's willing to pay it. I guess that could get you out of the trailer and into a house."_

"_That kind of money could be useful. Maybe then we could actually get some decent equipment here…okay. I'll come."_

"_Awesome! You're ticket is in the folder, and the boat leaves from Los Angeles on July 20__th__. I'll see you then."_

"_Bye." She waved to me as I left her trailer and began to trek down the mountains back to civilization._

_Mental note to self: Next time I climb mountains, I'll wear hiking books, not stilettos._

_********_

_Chicago, Illinois July 7__th__, 2008_

_I knocked on the door of the small house in Chicago. Luckily, it was the summer so I wasn't freezing my ass off as I waited for someone to open the door._

_I don't know why, but Mr. Howard sent me a new black dress and shoes to wear when I met Steven._

_I dress was stunning. It was Valentino and came to about my knees. It was v neck and short sleeved and completely made of silk. The shoes were Christian Louboutin. They were black sandals with petals covering the top of my foot. When I put on the outfit, even I couldn't deny that I looked hot._

_The door opened a minute later and a guy dressed in sweatpants and an old tee shirt opened the door._

"_Please be looking for me," he said breathlessly when he saw me standing in the doorway._

"_May I come in?"_

"_Yeah," he said, still mesmerized by my appearance._

"_Are you Steven Winters?"_

"_Uh huh," he nodded._

"_I'm Eva Bruster. I represent Mr. Jim Howard, and he wants to offer you a position on an expedition he's planning."_

"_Are you going to be there?"_

"_Yes. I'm in charge of organizing, planning, and leading the expedition."_

"_I'm in."_

"_Did you want to read the packet about the expedition."_

"_I don't need to. I'll be there."_

"_Wow. That was easy. Here," I said, handing him his blue folder, "You'll find your tickets, an itinerary, and information about the mission in there. The boat leaves from Los Angeles on July 20__th__. I'll see you there."_

"_Yeah. Okay."_

"_Bye," I said, waving to him. He was still sitting in his chair, too stunned to speak._

_********_

_Los Angeles, California July 18__th__, 2008_

"_I still don't see how any of these people, myself included, are right for your mission. You have a personal assistant, an ex-C.I.A agent/current cowboy, a paleobotanist, and an unemployed loser. How is that supposed to form a dream team for some secretive mission?"_

"_It may seem odd and disjointed to you, but I put a lot of thought and consideration into this, and it's the best team who is sure to finish the job."_

"_But what is the job?" I had been tracking down these people for him for over a month, but I still had no idea what I was doing._

"_I realize I've asked you to do a lot with very little information, and I'm sorry for that. I promise I am now going to tell you everything."_

"_Does this have something to do with Aro Volturi? His picture was in the information you gave me."_

"_Eva, this has __everything__ to do with Aro Volturi."_

"_What do you mean? Who is he?"_

"_I knew Aro many years ago. We were in business together, but then we had a falling out. He stole something of mine and I want it back. I've let him get away with this for too long."_

"_What does this have to do with this expedition?"_

"_Well, he went into hiding after he robbed me, and I haven't been able to find him. I've invested millions of dollars into finding him, but I've never had a single trace of him. Then, 2 months ago, I finally found something, and I know where he is."_

"_What did you find? How do you know where he is?"_

"_Eva, have you ever heard of Japan Airlines flight 2232?"_

**Next chapter is back on the island to see what happened in the battle! You can check out the links to Eva's dress and shoes in my profile.**


	13. Chapter 12: The Fight for Our Lives I

Chapter 12: The Fight for Our Lives Part I

EPOV

_I dialed the number and then waited for her to pick up. After three rings, her voice came on the line._

"_Hello?" she asked. She never did look at the caller I.D. If she had, she probably wouldn't have answered my call._

"_Tanya, it's Edward."_

"_Eddie, baby? Is that really you?" God, I hated when she called me Eddie. "Listen, babe, about yesterday—it's not as bad as it looked, I swear. I mean, George is—"_

"_Save it, Tanya. I don't want to hear your excuses. I just wanted to call to give you a heads up, though I'm not really sure you deserve it. I called my lawyer today, and I filed for divorce. You should be hearing from him by the end of the week."_

"_Baby, there's no need to do that. We're just having a little rough patch. There's no reason to involve lawyers. I'm sure we can work this out," Tanya's voice pleaded on the phone. She didn't care about our marriage; she just wanted to keep reaping the benefits of being married to a rich, influential doctor._

"_Tanya, I caught you __fucking__ another man in __my__ bed in __my__ house! I came home, anxious to spend time with my wife after spending days in the hospital. I came home, expecting to see you and make love to you, but no, what do I find? I find my wife of three years screwing another man! Do you know what that's like?" I was practically screaming at her on the phone now._

"_I'm sorry, Edward."_

"_Sorry isn't going to fix our marriage."_

"_Is there anything I can do?" she pleaded._

"_Yeah."_

"_Really? What?"_

"_I'm going to Japan with my brother and Whitlock on Friday. I'm going to be there for a few days. I want you and all your crap out of the house when I get back." I hung up the phone. Hopefully, that would be the last time I ever had to speak to Tanya._

********

Jasper, Emmett, Newton, and I were standing on the beach, saying goodbye to everyone who was leaving.

"Be safe," I said to the groups of people passing by me, following Eleazar.

Bella walked up to me, indecision in her eyes.

"Edward…" she started.

"I know this isn't what you want, but it's what has to be done. But you have to promise me something."

"Anything," she said, locking eyes with me. I never noticed before how beautiful her deep brown eyes were. I hoped this wasn't the last time I would see them.

"Promise me you'll be safe. I don't want you making rash decisions just because you want to prove something. Promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to lose you."

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close and inhaling her scent. She smelled as good as she always did, despite the fact she was sweaty and covered in dirt.

"You'll be careful, won't you?" she asked me with pleading eyes.

"I will. I promise I will."

She pressed her body into mine and rested her head against my chest.

"I love you," she whispered. I was shocked. It was the first time she had ever said she loved me.

"I love you, too," I whispered in her ear.

She pulled her head away from me and looked into my eyes. I bent down and pressed my lips to hers.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, unwilling to let go. I felt a drop of rain trickle down my face.

When we finally broke the kiss, I was shocked to see that Bella was crying. It was her tears, not rain, which slivered down my cheek.

"It's okay, Bella. I promise everything will be all right. You'll go with Eleazar and the others to hide while I'll stay here with Jasper, Emmett, and Newton to fight off those murderers who want to take you. Once it's all over, I'll come find you, and we'll be together without having to worry about these other groups."

"But if it's so dangerous here, shouldn't you have others saying back to help defend? Maybe I could—"

"No! I can't lose you! You don't understand how important you truly are to me, Bella. If you died, or were hurt, or were taken, I could never live with myself for putting you I that danger."

She looked up at me and touched her lips lightly to mine.

"Now go! Hurry, before it's too late."

She blew me another kiss as she ran over to where Eleazar and the others were.

I looked over and saw Alice and Jasper were still saying goodbye. Finally, Alice ran over to join the group as they were leaving.

"There's going to be okay," I told myself aloud.

"Of course they're going to be okay," Emmett said. "They're going to be well hidden in the jungle. They should be the ones worrying about us. I mean, those guys coming tonight are going to be shooting to kill anyone who gets in their way when they try to sieve the girls."

I looked back at Bella who was now walking with Rosalie and Alice as the three of them left the camp with the group. Emmett, Jasper, Newton, Sam, Emily, Garrett, Katie, and I waved goodbye to them as they disappeared into the trees.

"Where's Seth?" Sam asked.

"He's in with Cynthia. I don't think he's going to leave her side for a minute," Jasper answered.

"Well, why don't we prepare something for dinner? What time are those guys supposed to arrive Emmett?" Garrett asked.

"After dark. I said they shouldn't even be in the area until the sun goes down since people are always going to and from the waterfall. If they want a surprise attack without alerting too many people, they shouldn't even be here until dark. That way, it will seem less suspicious if only a few people are out."

"Good thinking. I'll go cook some fish, "Emily offered, walking over to the fire pit to start preparing dinner for everyone.

"Are you sure this is going to work Emmett?" I asked him as I sat down on the beach.

"Don't be such a pessimist ye-of-little-faith. This'll go off without a hitch, we'll save the girls from whatever these psychos are planning to do with them, and we'll be the heroes who stayed behind and risked our lives."

"How do you live with him?" Jasper asked, looking incredulously at Emmett.

"It's not easy," I responded.

Emmett roared with laughter and smacked me on the back.

The seven of us sat around talking while Emily cooked the fish for us.

"So, you and that girl Bella look like an item," Garrett commented. "I saw you two saying a very _nonverbal_ goodbye," he laughed.

"Yeah, well, we've gotten very close here. I mean, it's hard not to when we're all forced to spend endless time with each other."

"That and the fact that you saved her life. Twice," Emmett added.

"You saved her life twice? I know about the stuff with the natives, but what else happened?"

"On the plane. After the tail section detached, there was all that debris flying everywhere, and people were getting hit. She watched her boyfriend take one straight through the chest, and she kind of shut down after that. I pulled her to the ground when I saw another piece heading right at her." I shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

"That's amazing," Katie commented. "Bella's a lucky girl to have someone like you."

"Yeah, I guess," I said, avoiding her eyes. I started feeling guilty since Bella still didn't know I was still married.

"What do you think is happening at home now?" Jasper asked, interrupting my thoughts. "I mean, we've been missing for 67 days now. People obviously know we crashed now."

"If they know we crashed, why haven't they found us yet?" Katie asked.

"Good question. When they finally do find us, that'll be my first question, along with why the hell the plane broke apart and crashed in the first place."

"I can't believe it's already been 67 days," Sam said, mystified.

"Do you think they'll ever find us?" I asked.

"Of course they will. I mean, they have to know we're all missing. And once they find the sunken plane, they'll look around there. I mean we're not that far from the wreckage," Emmett answered confidently.

"I wish I had your optimism."

Right then, Emily called us over to eat.

Jasper offered to bring some to Seth and Cynthia and he entered the hut with two plates of smoked fish.

After everyone had finished eating, we cleaned up the area. Emmett, Jasper, Newton, and I grabbed two rifles each, said goodbye to everyone, and went and hid in the group of trees close to the huts. Emmett had put a pile of rocks by the three huts that were easiest to aim at. We sat on the ground and watched the camp.

Sam and Emily were sitting by the fire, deep in conversation as Garrett and Katie played tic-tac-toe in the sand. They played around for a few hours until it got really dark.

Sam and Emily got up first, saying goodnight to Garrett and Katie, then heading into their hut for bed.

Garrett and Katie hung out for another half an hour, then bade each other goodnight as they retired to their respective huts.

"This is it. Get ready," I warned the others as I got down on my knees, got my gun ready, and prepared for the fight of my life.

********

"_Edward, would you stop moping and get your ass out of bed?" Emmett's gruff voice woke me up. I opened my eyes and turned to look at my brother who was standing next to the bed._

"_I'm not moping. I'm just mourning the end of my marriage."_

"_No, you are moping. Face it: you and Tanya are done. What better way to celebrate than a steamy fling with a hot Japanese woman?"_

"_Because I'm not you? C'mon Emmett, I'm not some famous football player or an A-list movie star. I'm a doctor. People only know who I am because of you and Whitlock."_

"_Oh, stop throwing yourself a pity party. Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened with you and Tanya, but you can't live the rest of your life in fear because some bitch screwed you over. If you keep living like this, you'll never be happy again."_

_I sighed. "I know. It's just I don't want to move on yet."_

"_Dude, you have to move on. If you don't you're going to wallow in self-pity for the rest of your life, and I won't allow that. Now get up and get dressed. Let's go see what Japan has to offer two hot American brothers."_

"_No thanks. I think I'll stay in the hotel today."_

"_Fine, have it your way." Strange, Emmett never usually gave up that easily._

_Suddenly, I felt the covers yanked off of me. I also felt a pair of huge hands grab my arms and forcibly drag me out of bed._

"_What the fuck, Emmett?" I shouted at him. I loved me brother, but sometimes he took it too far._

"_Just a little motivation factor to get you up. Now to I have to undress you and throw you in the shower or can you do that on your own like a big boy?_

"_Fuck you," I said, flipping him off as I walked to get showered._

_Emmett was right, as much as I hated to admit it. I needed to get over Tanya, and lying in bed feeling sorry for myself wasn't going to help with that._

_As I turned on the hot water and got in the shower, I thought of Tanya and everything she had done to hurt me._

"_Never again," I said to myself. "Never again."_

********

"Are they here yet?" Newton asked for the tenth time.

"No you dumbass. When they arrive, you will _see_ those fuckers out there, heading for the marked cabins to kidnap Alice, Bella, and Leah."

"Right. Sorry."

"Maybe they changed their minds and decided not to come," I said. It had been two hours since Garrett, Katie, Sam, and Emily had gone to bed, and no one had shown up yet.

"Wait, what's that?" Jasper asked. I listened, and heard rustling coming from the forest.

"They're here," Jasper whispered.

A moment later, a group of natives entered the camp, lead by Felix. All of them were armed.

I looked over and saw Emmett counting them.

"How many?"

"14," he answered.

"Well boys, get ready." We all pulled our rifles up. "Aim." Each of us aimed at a different native. "Fire!" We pulled the triggers. We looked over and saw four natives drop to the ground. Success!

"What the fuck was that?" I heard one of the natives shout.

"Where did that come from? Who the hell is firing on us?"

"Shut up you fucktards! Just get to the shacks and grab the girls," Felix ordered them.

The remaining natives ran to the marked huts.

The four of us aimed at the natives and fired again. Every single shot missed. Fuck.

"Felix, they're empty!" one native called to Felix.

"Emmett? Edward? Jasper?" Felix called out. "I know you guys are here somewhere. Why don't you come out."

"Shh," I whispered to the other guys.

"We're going to play hide-and-seek now, are we? Well, let's even the score a little bit. Laurent! Alec! Bring out the prisoners!"

To my horror, Laurent and Alec dragged Garrett, Katie, Sam, and Emily behind them. The four of them were gagged and blindfolded.

Laurent and Alec shoved them all into a group on the ground.

"Now do you guys want to come out or am I going to have to kill your friends?"

None of us said anything, but we shot worried glances at each other. How had the natives grabbed Sam, Emily, Garrett, and Katie without us noticing?

Felix bent down and yanked the gag out of Katie's mouth.

Felix whispered something in her ear. "Don't come out, guys! Don't listen to them! You promised to protect Bella, Alice, and Leah, and you better not break that promise!"

"Shut up!" Felix said, shoving the gag back in Katie's mouth.

"Okay guys, I'm giving you to the count of five to come out. If you aren't here by then, these four are dead."

He motioned to four of the other natives. They made Katie, Garrett, Sam, and Emily kneel side-by-side in a line. Behind each of them, a native stood with a gun pointed at their head.

"5."

We all looked at each other. If we went out there, they would kill us.

"4."

Before they killed us, they would torture us until we told them what happened to everyone else.

"3."

I couldn't let the four of them die this way.

"2."

If I gave myself up, it would put Emmett, Jasper and Newton in danger, not to mention jeopardize the safety of everyone else.

"1."

They still didn't know Seth and Cynthia were here. If they did, they would be in line with the others with a gun pointed at their head.

"Fire!"

I heard the shots ring out as Katie, Garrett, Sam, and Emily all fell to the ground. None of them moved.

"Search the area!" Felix ordered.

The other natives started opening and searching each of the huts.

Fuck. They were going to find Seth and Cynthia. I couldn't have the blood of two innocent teenagers on my hands.

"Not in there, you idiots. Look around camp, in the jungle. The shots came from the trees. My guess is there somewhere in there."

I looked at Emmett, terror in my eyes. What was going to happen if they found us?

Emmett pointed to his left. We could escape if we kept quiet and disappeared further into the tress.

I shook my head no. They would hear any movement we made and find us.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" a sneering voice said behind me.

Fuck.

A pair of hands grabbed me and dragged me from the trees back onto the beach.

My rifle was wrestled away from me as I was thrown on the sand in front of Felix's feet.

"Look what we have here, boys. A couple of heroes. These guys are such great heroes that they let four innocent people die to save themselves. Bravo." He started clapping.

"Fuck you, Felix. Fuck you," I spat out. I felt a foot connect with my stomach, and soon I was doubled over in pain.

"Fuck me? It looks like our friend Edward could use a few manners lessons, what do you think, Laurent?"

Laurent started laughing before kicking me repeatedly in the side.

Once he stopped, I spit on the ground. It was all blood.

"Emmett, I don't understand you. I offer you and your girl a one-way passage off this island. Instead of being grateful and helping us, you double cross me and try to kill all my men. I think I should return the favor."

"Felix, you bastard! Don't you _dare_ harm my brother!"

"Oh, how cute. You think I'm going to hurt these other murderers here? No, my target is much better. See, if I killed Edward, Jasper, and Newton, they would be getting off easy. They _killed_ my friends. Why should they get the easy way out? No, you _all_ need to suffer." Felix pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Demitri? You there?" he asked into the device.

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up, Felix?"

"Where are you?"

"Well, right now I'm looking at a group of people who think they are well hidden in the jungle. Unfortunately for them, they didn't know I know this jungle better than anybody."

"Well, who happens to be in this group?"

"All the survivors of flight 2232. With the exception of those who are already dead or being held prisoner on the beach."

"Wonderful. Aro will be very pleased."

"Is there anything you need, Felix?" Demitri asked in a voice that sounded rehearsed. What were these bastards planning?

"Why yes, Demitri, there is. I need you to grab Seth, Bella, Alice, and Rosalie. Line them up next to each other and have them kneel on the ground."

"No!" I shouted into the night. "Felix, you bastard! Let them go!"

After a minute, Demitri's voice came back on the walkie-talkie. It didn't sound as calm as before.

"He's not here."

"What? Who? What are you talking about?"

"Seth. The boy, Seth, he's not here. We threatened them all, but no one knows where he is."

"Well, he's not here. We searched the camp, and we didn't find him. He wasn't with the others who stayed behind to try and fool us, and he wasn't with the four heroes here, either."

"Well, where the hell is he?"

"I don't know, and don't take that tone with me! Don't forget who Aro put in charge of this mission!"

"Sorry."

"Okay, grab Leah instead of Seth then."

"No! Fuck you, Felix!" Newton was shouting at him now. What the hell was this about.

"Thought I'd never get a reaction out of you, Newton. Why do you care if I kill some random survivor from the flight?"

"Why can't you just leave us alone?"Emmett shouted.

"Because this is our island. We let you live here for a little bit, but it's ours. You seem to forget that, so it's time you learned your lesson. Demitri!"

"Yes?"

"If you don't hear my voice in one minute, kill them."

"Can do."

"Where is he?"

"Who?" I asked.

"Seth! Where is he? If he's not with the others and he's not here, then where did he go?"

"Why would I tell you that? I am not having a teenager's blood on my hands!"

"I'm warning you, Edward…"

"What can you possibly threaten me with? I already know you're going to kill us. You don't care about what happens to us. You don't care if we get rescued or anything. So screw you, Felix!"

"Do it!" Felix shouted into the walkie-talkie.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

"Bella!" I screamed.

"Rosie!" Emmett screamed simultaneously.

"Alice!" Jasper shouted into the night.

"Leah!" Newton sobbed.

"How could you do that?" I sobbed. How could he let Bella die?

Beside me, Emmett, Jasper, and Newton were all sobbing for the loss of the greatest women of our lives.

"Felix!" Laurent was running towards him, panic in his eyes.

"What is it, Laurent? I told you to stand guard!"

"I just saw—" Laurent fell over onto the ground. I looked over and saw blood oozing from his back. He didn't move to get up.

"What the–?" Felix asked, but then a whizzing noise was heard.

Suddenly, Alec dropped to the ground too. I looked over and saw blood dripping out of a wound from his head.

All around me, the natives were dropping one by one. I finally looked up as Felix took one to the chest. He collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. I sprang to my feet and grabbed the gun he had dropped. I unloaded the clip into his chest, even after he was already dead.

"Edward, why? He was already dying!" Jasper said.

"I wanted the satisfaction of doing that myself."

"What's going on? Who killed them?" Emmett asked.

"Dunno. Do you think maybe someone from our group broke away and saved us?"

"If they did, we owe them our lives."

"Hello?" I called out into the darkness. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Seth?" Emmett called out.

"Is it over?" Seth asked, emerging from the hut with Cynthia in his arms. She was clinging to his neck and had a look of fear on her face.

"Yeah, it's over," I answered.

"What happened? I though you guys got captured. I heard that dude Felix talking to you after they got you. Lucky they never saw me. It's a good thing I stayed in the hut with Cynthia the whole time."

"Yeah that's a good thing or you'd be lying in the sand with Katie, Garrett, Sam, and Emily."

Seth nodded somberly, and all of our eyes fell on the bodies of our dead friends.

"So, how'd you guys kill them? I thought you were all at gun point."

"We were. Someone saved our asses."

"Who?"

"No idea. Maybe we should head into the jungle and see if we can find who it was."

"Whoa, bad idea little bro. Whoever it was just _massacred_ those natives. What makes you think they won't do the same to us?" Emmett asked.

"Well, they left us alive. They had clear shots at us. I mean, we were sitting on the ground with no weapons or anything. They have to be friends of ours."

"Maybe, but I agree with Emmett," Jasper said. "Whoever did this defiantly had an agenda of some sorts. I also don't think they're from our camp. Remember, Laurent came running into camp, yelling about something right before he bit it? I think whatever he was yelling about is what killed him. Do you really want to find out what that is?"

Suddenly, we heard the trees rustling where we had been hiding earlier.

"What is that?" Newton whispered.

"I don't know," I whispered back. I picked up the rifle Laurent had dropped on the ground and pointed it at the trees.

"Who's there?" I shouted at the trees.

A figure dressed in all black emerged from the trees. They had on a helmet , a black padded jacket, black pants, black boots, and blinking light attached to the jacket.

"Hello?" I asked tentatively.

The stranger removed their helmet.

It was a woman. She shook out her long brown hair and smiled at us.

"Hi, I'm Eva Bruster."

"What?" Jasper asked, unsure of who this new person is.

"I know who you are!" the woman exclaimed. "You're Jasper Hale, the movie star. You're Emmett Cullen and Michael Newton, the football players who are sworn enemies. And you're Edward Cullen, the world-class doctor."

"Yes, we all know who we are. We still don't know who _you_ are," Emmett snapped.

"My name is Eva Bruster and I'm here to rescue you."

**This is only the first half of this chapter. Next half focuses on Bella and the group that left the camp to hide.**


	14. Chapter 13: The Fight for Our Lives II

Chapter 13: The Fight for Our Lives Part II

**In the previous chapter:**_ Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Mike Newton stayed on the beach to protect the survivors while everyone one else left to hide in the jungle. Seth stayed in the cabin with an injured Cynthia while four other survivors remained on the beach to fool the natives in case they appeared. Once night fell, the natives came on the beach to try to take Bella, Alice, and Leah, but our heroes were waiting for them. They killed a few, but then Felix called out to them, aware that they had stayed behind. The natives killed the four survivors who had stayed on the beach to fool everyone. Emmett, Jasper, Mike, and Edward were captured and held at gunpoint. Felix radioed Demitri and told him to kill Bella, Alice, Rosalie, and Leah. They heard four gunshots over the device. They were preparing to die when Laurent entered the camp and fell down dead. All the natives began dropping, until no one remained. A woman by then name of Eva Bruster entered the camp and claimed she was there to rescue them._

BPOV

"_Skank!"_

"_Slut!"_

"_Whore!"_

_I heard the name-calling continue as I walked through the halls of Forks High School. Ever since I had gotten pregnant, people had begun to torture me. I started telling people Tyler was the father so he would be forced to take some responsibility, but then he started telling people that I had been sleeping around and I was just a whore._

_Everyone hated me, with the exception of Jessica. She was the best friend I had at the hellhole, also known as school._

"_Just ignore them," she muttered to me as we walked to math class._

_I tried to take her advice, but it was impossible to ignore girls giving you evil stares and calling you a slut while guys either called you a whore or invited you over to their house because they thought they could get into your pants._

_Pigs._

_I sighed. High school was not what I imagined it would be. Middle school was pure torture after I got pregnant, but I had hoped people would forget about it after the summer. Apparently not._

"_Hey, Bell, wanna come over my house this weekend? My parents are out of town and I was hoping we could get to 'know each other' better," Nate Oddo said to me, putting his hand on my waist._

"_Sorry, but Bella has a date with a bunch of gang-bangers this weekend, so she's unavailable." Jessica smiled sweetly as we walked away laughing._

"_Jess, I honestly don't know what I would do without you. You have made high school so much more enjoyable."_

"_Hey, what are friends for? I don't care that no one else will speak to us or that guys hit on you left and right because they think you're easy. As long as we stick together, it'll all be okay."_

"_And the best thing is that I am now back to my pre-baby body."_

"_With the exception of size C boobs instead of A. That's always a plus."_

_I started laughing. "Yeah, I guess you're right."_

"_Look at it this way; you could be a fat, flat chested freshman who got pregnant in 8__th__ grade, or you could be a skinny, hot freshman who got pregnant in 8__th__ grade. With size C boobs."_

_I couldn't help laughing. "Jess, you are truly a lifesaver."_

"_Hey, what are friends for?" she asked, giving me a big hug. "By the way, did you ever hear from the Denali's about how the kid is doing?"_

"_No, and I don't want to. If I hear how great he is now and wonderful he's doing, I'm just going to get sad and wonder what would have happened if I had kept him. It's better this way."_

"_Whatever you say, Bells."_

********

I was standing with Rose and Alice on the beach, waiting for the entire group to assemble so we could all leave and hide while Emmett, Jasper, Mike, and Edward fought the natives tonight.

I looked over and saw Edward and the others standing in a group, waving as everyone passed by them. I couldn't let Edward stay here like this to defend me. I hated being so helpless. I wanted to stay and fight with him.

"Edward…" I said, approaching him.

"I know this isn't what you want, but it's what has to be done. But you have to promise me something," he said, cutting off my thought.

"Anything," I answered. I would do anything for Edward, even give up my own life for him.

"Promise me you'll be safe. I don't want you making rash decisions just because you want to prove something. Promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to lose you."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close into his chest. He was warm and safe. I wrapped my arms around his waist to keep myself as close to him as possible.

"You'll be careful, won't you?" I asked, pleading with him to understand that I needed him to stay safe for me.

"I will. I promise I will."

I sighed as I pulled myself close to him again and rested my head on his chest. I heard his heart beating under my ear. It was the most wonderful sound I had ever heard.

"I love you," I whispered into his chest. It was the first time I had told him I loved him. It was in that moment I knew it was true.

I felt his warm lips at my ear as he whispered, "I love you too."

I relaxed my grip around his middle as I looked into his green eyes. He bent down and kissed me fully on the lips.

I forgot we were on the beach surrounded by people. I forgot I was supposed to be saying goodbye. At that moment, nothing else mattered. I threw my arms around his neck and threw my body into his. I felt my eyes start to water as tears began trickling down my face.

He finally pulled back. He looked horrified when he saw I was crying.

"It's okay, Bella. I promise everything will be all right. You'll go with Eleazar and the others to hide while I'll stay here with Jasper, Emmett, and Newton to fight off those murderers who want to take you. Once it's all over, I'll come find you, and we'll be together without having to worry about these other groups," Edward said, attempting to comfort me.

It didn't work. I began grasping at straws, trying to find some way we wouldn't have to be separated.

"But if it's so dangerous here, shouldn't you have others saying back to help defend? Maybe I could—"

"No!" he said loudly, cutting me off. "I can't lose you! You don't understand how important you truly are to me, Bella. If you died, or were hurt, or were taken, I could never live with myself for putting you I that danger."

I stood on my toes as I pressed my lips to his. I understood him. I felt the same way about him.

"Now go! Hurry, before it's too late," Edward said, pushing me towards the group.

I blew him one last kiss as I ran over to join Eleazar, Rose, and the others. We all started walking into the jungle. I heard footsteps running. I turned and saw Alice sprinting toward us.

"Thanks for waiting for me," Alice said, smiling. She threw one arm around me and one arm around Rosalie as the three of us walked into the jungle. I turned back one more time and saw Edward standing on the beach with the others who were remaining behind, waving us all goodbye. I blew him another kiss, but I don't know if he saw it.

"Cheer up, Bells," Alice chirped. How did she have so much enthusiasm now?

"How can you be enthusiastic at a time like this? We're leaving those guys back there to face armed natives who will kill them."

"I'm not worried about Jasper. I made him promise me he'll be safe. I reminded him that even though he plays a light saber-wielding Jedi who takes over the galaxy, he's only an actor. I don't want him doing some crazy action stunt because he did on the set of a movie once."

"Yeah, you know Emmett is going to do something stupid that will get him killed just because he thinks he can," Rose said, sighing.

"And Edward will do anything to save everyone, even sacrificing himself."

The three of us shook our heads and laughed. "We're in love with three of the biggest idiots I've ever met," Alice laughed.

"I guess that makes us idiots too," Rose added.

I laughed as Alice pulled Rose and I in close for a hug.

"Oh Alice, what would we do without you?" I asked.

"Die of boredom."

The three of us continued laughing and joking as we walked deeper and deeper into the jungle. Eleazar and Carmen were leading the way, so everyone was just following them.

It felt like we'd been walking for hours when we finally stopped.

"Over here everyone," Eleazar called out.

We were in a clearing in the jungle. Trees surrounded us, and barely any light was able to seep in, but I still felt exposed.

"Eleazar, are you sure this is hidden enough? Couldn't we go to where we hid when we were running from the natives?" I asked. When we hid from them, we had hidden in an underground ditch covered with leaves. That felt much more hidden than this area.

"Bella, this is very hidden. We are very far from the native's camp and it is close to impossible to see through those trees. They would have to be looking for this area to find us. And besides, that ditch was small and only had enough space to fit up to 10 people. We have 30 people here, and that is much closer to the native's camp. This is much safer."

He had a good point, but I still didn't feel super comfortable.

He must have seen the apprehension on my face. "Bella, don't worry. We are armed, and we'll be quiet. We'll hear them coming before they find us."

I smiled at him as I finally felt reassured.

I sat down on a boulder with Alice, Rosalie, and Leah.

"How do you think the guys are doing?" Leah asked.

"Knowing them, Emmett and Mike are having an arm-wrestling match to prove who is the most masculine, Jasper is watching them, trying to get them to act like they are older than 5, and Edward is watching his fingernails grow," Alice said matter-of-factly.

Leah, Rosalie, and I burst out laughing.

"You guys hungry?" Leah asked, pulling some fruit out of her backpack and offering it to us. We all took it greedily. We were starving since we hadn't eaten in hours.

"Thanks, Leah," I said.

The four of us sat on the boulder, eating to pass the time and waiting for the guys to some get us once everything was safe.

********

"_Hey, Jess!" I called out in the hall at school. Jessica had just walked by me without saying hi._

_She ignored me and kept walking to her locker._

"_Jess!" I called out again in case she didn't hear me. She turned around reluctantly to look at me._

"_What do you want, Isabella?"_

_Isabella? She never called me Isabella._

"_What's up with the attitude?" I joked. She didn't look amused. "I was just wondering why you never called me back this weekend."_

"_I was busy," she answered coldly._

"_Are you mad at me or something?" I asked, slightly confused. For the past week, Jess hadn't been returning my calls, she always made up an excuse why we couldn't hang out, and she avoided me at school._

"_Isabella, I don't think we should be friends anymore."_

"_What? Why? Is there something I can do? Jess, you're my only friend!"_

"_You may have thought we were friends, but I would __never__ be friends with a whore!" she spat out at me before turning swiftly, hitting me in the face with her curly hair and leaving me standing in the middle of the hall._

_I didn't understand it. Why did my best friend, who had stuck up for me since the beginning of the year with all the slut comments, suddenly decide she didn't want to be seen with me?_

_Before, school had been tough, but slightly bearable due to Jess's help. Now, it nothing short of pure torture. _

_Whenever I saw Jess in the halls, she was with her new friends. She never passed an opportunity up to make fun of me or call me "whore."_

_Since I no longer had any friends, I began eating my lunch in the bathroom. I spent the weekends at home, crying my eyes out in my bed while Charlie went fishing with his buddies from the station, never realizing anything was wrong._

_Then, one day, something happened to make my life at school so much better._

_Janie Smith, a sophomore, approached me one day after the last bell had rung._

"_Did you want a ride home, Bella?" she had asked. I was really confused. Most people avoided me like the black plague unless they needed something, like homework, or wanted to get into my pants._

"_Sure," I said. I never turned down a free ride home if it meant I wouldn't have to walk home._

_I got into Janie's Honda CRV, still confused. She started the car and drove away from the school. She pulled into a deserted parking lot after a few minutes._

"_Sorry about this," she said. "I just couldn't risk being overheard. I wanted to ask you about what happened when you got pregnant." She looked at the floor after she said it._

"_What?"_

"_Just like, how did you know and how did you tell your dad? What did you do after you found out about it?"_

"_Why do you want to know?" I asked. This was really weird._

"_I think I might be pregnant," she whispered as tears fell out of her eyes._

"_Oh, Janie, I'm sorry! Everything's going to be okay, I promise," I said, giving her a hug._

"_I don't know what to do!" she sobbed into my shoulder. "I don't even know who the dad is!"_

"_It's going to be okay," I whispered again._

"_No, it's not!" she wailed. "My parents are super Catholic. They're going to flip out at me. And what about school? I saw what you went through when you were pregnant. I can't endure that, and I know my friends will all desert me when they find out. They're horrible to you. I feel really bad about that now. I want to apologize for treating you like that, Bella. You don't deserve it. But what am I going to do?"_

"_It won't be the same as me," I told her. "For one thing, you won't go through it alone. I'll help you the whole way, I promise. I won't leave you. I'll be there when you tell your parents, and I'll support you with whatever decision you decide to make, whether you decide to keep the baby or give it up for adoption."_

"_Oh, Bella, thank you! You may be the only friend I have now!" She threw her arms around me._

_I guess I had a friend now. I had a friend who would never judge me for making a mistake, because we had both made the biggest one a teenage girl could make. I finally found someone in the same boat as me._

********

"Bella, wake up!" I opened my eyes and saw Alice shaking my shoulder.

"Hmm?" I said, still half asleep. I had been having a wonderful dream until she woke me up. I still felt like I was in Edward's arms.

"Bella, get up!" Alice pushed me again and I rolled off the boulder I had been sleeping on.

"I'm up, I'm up," I said, getting to my feet. "What's up?"

"We're moving. Eleazar thinks he hears someone moving around here, so he wants us to move deeper into the jungle."

"Deeper? We're already in the middle of the jungle. If we keep moving, we're going to get lost and Edward and everyone else will never be able to find us!"

"I know, but Eleazar is the one who knows this island. I mean, he's been here for like three years, so I trust him."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"All right, everyone," Eleazar called. "We're going to be moving areas soon. I keep hearing something move around, and I just want to be safe. So everyone, let's get in a group and head out."

"You're not going anywhere," said a voice.

Everyone turned and looked for where the voice came from. My eyes opened wide when I saw a man walk into our temporary camp. I didn't recognize him. My eyes quickly fell from his face to the gun he was pointing at Eleazar.

"Eleazar," he greeted.

"Demitri," Eleazar greeted him carefully.

"So, you guys are planning on moving, are you?"

"How did you find us?" Eleazar asked.

"Please, Eleazar. Do you honestly think we don't know about everything happening on this island? I'm just waiting for the go- ahead from Felix before I do anything."

I grabbed Alice and Rose's hands. The three of us started backing up towards the trees.

"On the count of three," I whispered to them, "we make a break for the trees and never look back. One, two—"

Bang.

A shot rang out. I looked to my left and saw Austin lying on the jungle floor.

"Austin!" Maggie, Austin's sister screamed. She was kneeling on the ground next to him, sobbing.

"Move away, you silly girl," Demitri ordered. Maggie stayed where she was and kept sobbing. Demitri pointed his gun at her. I averted my eyes, but that didn't stop me from hearing the shot. I looked back and saw Maggie's lifeless body lying on top of Austin's.

"Here's a lesson for all of you," Demitri shouted. "Anyone who tries to leave will get _exactly_ what they did. Do you really want to risk that? Even if you got past me, I have the area surrounded. You'd be dead before you could make it out of the jungle." Demitri smirked at all of us.

"Demitri? You there?" Something in Demitri's pocket was making noise. He reached in and pulled out a walkie-talkie I had seen the native's use to communicate when I spent time in their camp.

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up, Felix?" he spoke into the device.

"Where are you?"

"Well, right now I'm looking at a group of people who think they are well hidden in the jungle. Unfortunately for them, they didn't know I know this jungle better than anybody."

I shivered involuntarily when he said that. Maybe we should have all just stayed at camp. I felt tears start welling up in my eyes.

"It's okay, Bella," Rose whispered to me as she wrapped her arms around me to comfort me.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms yank me away from Rose.

"Rose!" I screamed as I was forced on the ground. A moment later, Rose was kneeling on one side of me and Alice was on the other.

Behind each of us stood an armed native. At this moment, I knew we were all going to die. It must have meant Edward and the others had failed.

I looked over and saw Demitri shaking Eleazar.

"Where is he?" he snarled at Eleazar.

"I don't know!" Eleazar said, afraid. "He didn't leave the camp with us!"

They must have been talking about Seth. Hopefully, the natives who invaded our camp on the beach hadn't found him or Cynthia.

I looked away and saw Carmen sprinting towards Demitri. I had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Get off of him!" she shouted, launching herself at Demitri. He threw her on the ground, pointed his gun at her, and fired.

I screamed and buried my face in my hands.

I heard Eleazar shout, and then another shot rang out. I looked back and saw that Eleazar had crumpled into a heap on the ground.

Next to me, both Alice and Rose were silently sobbing. The man behind pressed his gun into my back. I stopped moving.

"He's not here!" Demitri shouted into his walkie-talkie. I was barely listening anymore.

I couldn't concentrate on what was going on around me. I wasn't sure if everyone was going to survive this. The only thing I was certain of was that Alice, Rose, and I were going to be the next ones to go as punishment for our boyfriends' failed attempt to protect us.

Another scream echoed off the trees. I looked over and saw Leah being dragged over by her arms. She was forced into the dirt next to Alice. Another native came and stood behind her, pressing a fun into her back like Rose, Alice, and I.

"If you don't hear my voice in one minute, kill them!" I heard Demitri's walkie-talkie shout.

This was it. I closed my eyes and thought of Edward and how he had kissed me when we said goodbye.

"Do it!" Felix's voice ordered.

I heard one shot.

Then another.

Then a third.

I buried my face in my hands as I braced myself for the shot that would end my life.

I heard the fourth shot ring out.

Was this what death was like? It was strange. I hadn't even felt the bullet pierce my skin. But maybe that was because it was so quick.

Anyways, my mother had told me as she was dying after the car crash that death was painless. It was easy, because you would never be in pain again.

She must have been lying, because I was not out of pain. I still felt pain in my kneecaps from when I was forced onto the ground. My upper arms still throbbed from where the native's grabbed me. My mother had been wrong. What a big surprise.

"Bella!" I heard a familiar voice shout.

I slowly opened my eyes, and saw Alice kneeling next to me.

"What happened?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know, but we're still alive!" she whispered to me. I looked behind her, and saw the native still standing there, though he had lowered his gun slightly.

I looked in front of me, and saw Demitri standing there, looking at my face, waiting for my reaction.

"I don't understand," I said, confused.

"Aro gave us specific orders," he said. "We were to capture you girls, not kill. Felix seems to forget who the leader is. We had to fire those shots in the ground so Felix would hear them and think we did kill you. Of course, that also means your boyfriends think you girls are dead."

"You mean, they're still alive?" Alice asked, stunned.

"Felix wanted them to feel pain. If he killed them, the pain would be over in a moment. He wanted to slowly torture them. Killing the only things they truly loved was the worst thing he could imagine, so he sent me in the jungle to capture and kill you guys."

"But Jasper is still alive?" Alice asked, on the verge of tears.

"Yes, Felix has no intention of killing them. I think he plans to recruit them into our service.

Alice began sobbing.

"Alice, what's the matter?" Rose asked, worried.

"I just—I thought—he was dead!" she cried. She then smiled, realizing her love was still alive.

"They're all still alive!"

"That doesn't mean you're going to see them again," Demitri sneered.

"What?" I asked, confused. "You just said they weren't dead, and you saved our lives…"

"Because Aro told us not to. What, did you actually think we were being merciful?" Demitri laughed at the thought.

"What's going to happen to us?" I asked, terrified.

"I need to check in with Aro." The four of us were still kneeling in the dirt. The rest of the natives had entered the clearing and were holding everyone else at gunpoint. I looked around and saw everyone was too terrified to move.

"Aro?" Demitri asked into his walkie-talkie.

"This better be important, Demitri. I was just about to go to the Temple to check on the progress there," an old but friendly voice said.

"We got them," Demitri said excitedly.

"Who?"

"The girls. Bella, Alice, and Leah. We also have the blonde, Rosalie."

"Then bring them to camp. I don't see how this needs my attention."

"We have a minor problem."

"What?" he snapped.

"We're holding about 30 people hostage here. What am I supposed to do with them?"

"Kill them."

"All of them?" Demitri asked, shocked.

"Are they going to be useful at all?"

"No. They're just survivors of the crash."

"If they aren't going to be useful, kill them. Do it now. Then, bring the girls back to camp."

Everyone in the clearing looked around at everyone, expressions of terror on their faces.

"Aro? There are children here," Demitri said tentatively into the walkie-talkie.

"The only children I want are Cynthia and Seth. If it's not Cynthia or Seth, kill them."

Demitri looked slightly shocked, but he shook it off. "Yes sir," he said meekly into the device.

He turned to the other natives in the camp. "You heard him" Demitri said to the others.

"Oh my god!" Benjamin shouted. He started running for the trees, but one of the natives fired the gun. He fell down dead.

After that, complete chaos ensued. People were running everywhere, trying to escape the shots that were ringing out every few seconds.

Alice, Rosalie, Leah, and I were screaming our heads off, trying to block out the sound of the massacre going on around us. The natives guarding us had pulled us back into the trees so we wouldn't be hit by a stray bullet.

Unfortunately for us, we could still hear every sound in the clearing. People were screaming and running everywhere. Shots were being fired nonstop. Every so often, we could hear a thud as a body fell to the ground.

Ten minutes later, everything was silent.

"Marcus! Caius! Jane! Chelsea! You can bring the girls back in."

We were pulled up from the ground and dragged back into the clearing. We had all stopped screaming now, but as soon as we entered the temporary camp, the screaming started again.

The ground was littered with bodies, blood, and bullets. Our fellow survivors were sprawled all over the ground, each face expressing the terror the person felt right before their life was wiped from their body.

"On the ground," one of the natives ordered us. We were forced onto our knees in the dirt again.

"I'm going to radio Aro and see if he wants us to deliver them now," Demitri said.

He pulled the radio to his mouth to radio Aro, when all of a sudden, the radio fell apart.

"What the…?"

Suddenly, Marcus, the native standing behind me, fell to the ground.

"Marcus, get up, you lazy a—"

Demitri dropped to the ground. All around us, the natives were dropping like flies. Quickly, I grabbed Alice, Rosalie, and Leah and pulled them to the ground. The four of us were lying in the dirt, covering our heads, trying to protect ourselves from whatever was invading our camp.

I pulled my head up and looked around. All the natives were on the ground with the other members of our camp. They were all dead.

"What was that?" Alice whispered.

"I don't know," I whispered back, my voice shaking.

"Hello?" a voice called in the dark. The four of us stayed where we were, not moving.

"Hello?" the voice called again. I looked up and saw someone entering the clearing.

The person was wearing a black coat, black pants, black boots, a black helmet, and had a blinking light attached to their jacket.

"Please don't kill us!" Rosalie screamed, terrified.

"Why would I kill you?" the person asked, removing their helmet. I looked up and saw a tall man. I couldn't make out the facial features due to the lack of light.

"Are you one of them?" Alice asked, still skeptical of the new arrival.

"Who? The men who were holding you at gunpoint? They were going to kill you, you know that. That's why we shot them. I hope they weren't friends of yours."

"If you're not one of them, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"My name is Carl Williams. I came here on a boat, docked about 20 miles off shore."

"You mean, you just came to this island?" Leah asked.

"Yes."

"My name is Bella Swan. This is Alice Brandon, Rosalie Hale, and Leah Clearwater. We are survivors of Japan Airlines flight 2232."


	15. Chapter 14: Everything's Not as it Seems

**AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone. They make me smile when I read them and make me more determined to write!**

Chapter 14: Everything's Not as it Seems

RPOV

_**And believe it or not  
Now there's something groovy and good  
'Bout whatever we got  
And it's getting better  
Growing stronger warm and wilder  
Getting better every day, better every day**_

_I groaned as I rolled over to the other side of my bed where the nightstand was so I could turn off my alarm clock. Some radio station was playing Cass Elliot's "It's Getting Better." Why? I don't know._

_Why did I even set my alarm for Saturday? This was the day I liked sleeping in._

"_Morning, Sunshine!" an extremely happy and bubbly voice greeted me. I looked over and saw Bridgette standing in the doorway to my room._

"_No, go away," I mumbled, pulling my pillow back over my head and burying myself in the blankets._

"_C'mon, Rose. It's a beautiful day. Go do something productive, like tan by the pool."_

"_Can't I just go back to sleep for another four hours?"_

_She started laughing. "Nope. I won't allow it. Anyways, there's someone at the door for you."_

"_For me?"_

"_Yeah, some guy. I didn't catch his name, but he said he needs to talk to you. Something about your husband. I didn't even know you were married!"_

"_I'm not. He must mean ex-husband. I left him a year ago and came out to LA instead."_

"_Whatever. He's downstairs in the living room, waiting for you."_

"_Okay, okay. I'm up' I said, getting out of bed. _

_I put my slippers on and headed downstairs. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a man sitting on the couch stood up. When he saw me, his jaw dropped. That didn't surprise me. Guys were always reacting that way when they saw me, and it didn't help that I was still in my pajamas. I was wearing a tight, pink Playboy tank top that was too short, so my stomach was visible. I also had on short white boxers that accentuated my longs legs. My blonde hair was slightly messy, giving me the appearance that I had just finished having sex._

"_Hi, can I help you?"_

"_I'm Ian Grant."_

"_I'm sorry, but do I know you, Mr. Grant?"_

"_No, we've never met before. I'm a police detective from Rochester, New York."_

_Crap._

_Crap, crap, crap._

_How did he find me?_

_Well, I guess I wasn't exactly hidden, but most people in Rochester had never even __seen__ a Playboy magazine, let alone follow the models._

_Don't panic. He might not even be here about Royce._

"_Mrs. King—"_

"_It's Ms. Hale now. I've been divorced for almost a year now."_

"_Sorry, Ms. Hale. Can you tell me about the day you left your husband?"_

"_I'm sorry, but what is this about?"_

"_Well, we've been wanting to talk to you for a long time to ask you these questions. I'm sure you've heard your husband died of a heart attack the week you left him."_

"_I read about it, yeah."_

"_Well, we just wanted to set up the timeline of events."_

"_Why? I mean, he died of natural causes. Surely you don't think someone __killed__ him, do you?"_

"_We just want to cover all possibilities. So, the day you left him?"_

"_Well, I'd been planning on leaving Royce for awhile. I'd been saving any money I got, and I'd take any money he left lying around the house to help. That morning, I packed all my stuff up and loaded it into my car. I wrote him a note, saying I was leaving him, then drove like a bat out of hell. I stopped at motels during the night, but I paid with cash and used a fake name so he couldn't find me if he decided to look for me, which I knew he would do. So I came out to LA and eventually got a job working for Playboy."_

"_I see. Why did you leave him?"_

"_Because I didn't want to be married to him anymore."_

"_So get a divorce. Why go through all the trouble of uprooting your life and sneaking out when he's not there?"_

_I stayed silent. Even though Royce was dead, I didn't want people to think of him as this vicious, abusive husband. He was sweet, when he wasn't drinking._

"_This wouldn't have anything to do with your trips to the hospital, would it?"_

"_What?"_

"_Your frequent trips to the hospital. You were there twice in January for a broken wrist and a broken collarbone, once in February for a shattered tibia, three times in March for a concussion, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken finger, and then once in April for a broken arm. That's a lot of medical bills."_

"_I'm just really clumsy, that's all. I fall down a lot and get hurt."_

"_Ms. Hale, I'm not an idiot. The doctors also make notes about the appearance of the wound and the behavior of the patient. Dr. Gerandy said that your injuries were usually accompanied by bruises, and you always seemed nervous and fearful when you were there, like you had something to hide."_

_I didn't say anything. I just looked at the ground. All those months of hiding the truth from my friends, my family, even the hospital staff. Know, as it turns out, they knew what was going on the whole time._

"_He beat you, didn't he?"_

_I nodded. "Only when he was drinking. He was always the sweetest husband when he was sober, but he was so stressed at work that he began going out and drinking at night. When he would come back, he would snap over the silliest things. When he shattered my tibia, I had asked him how his day was." I broke down, sobbing._

"_Ms. Hale, many women go through what you went through every year. You're lucky you got out when you did. I can't tell you of how many cases there are when it is too late for the wife. Her husband comes home one night and takes it too far."_

_I nodded again, realizing how close that was to being me._

"_I only have one more question for you. Did you kill your husband?"_

"_No," I said, but he looked me in the eyes like he knew the truth. He smiled at me, then got up. _

"_Thanks for your time, Ms. Hale. I promise not to bother you again."_

_He walked out the door._

********

"My name is Bella Swan. This is Alice Brandon, Rosalie Hale, and Leah Clearwater. We are survivors of Japan Airlines flight 2232," Bella told Carl.

"I know," he answered.

"What do you mean, 'I know'?" I asked rudely. I was never the nicest person, so a random stranger coming into our jungle was defiantly going to be on the receiving end of my fury.

"Well, flight 2232 went missing on May 21, 2008. One June 1st, the front half of the plane was discovered at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean . 104 bodies were found inside the plane, along with debris scattered on the ocean floor surrounding the aircraft. After that, all passengers on the plane were pronounced dead."

"If everyone thinks we're dead, what are you doing here?" Leah asked, confused.

"Not everyone thinks you're dead. There is a man named Jim Howard. He is a very rich and eccentric man. He believes there are aliens and in Area 51. He also believes that there are still people alive from Japan Airlines flight 2232.

"So you're here to rescue us?" Alice screeched.

"I am."

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! We're finally getting off this island. Oh my god, Emmett!" I screamed. "Carl, we _have_ to go back to our beach. There're some other survivors there being held hostage by the people who tried to kill us!"

"It's okay, little lady," he said. "Some other members from my team already got there and saved them. I was to lead a group into the jungle to see if I could find anything, and lucky me, I happened to find you gals." He smiled at us.

I didn't like this guy. He seemed too genuine. He was like a good old southern gentleman with all his manners.

I glared at him skeptically. "If you lead a team in here, where's everyone else?"

"In the trees. I told them to stay hidden. I thought we might frighten you if all of us came in at once, wearing black and carrying sniper rifles." He laughed, then made a whistling sound. About 10 other people entered the clearing, all dressed identically to Carl, all carrying weapons.

"Oh my gosh!" Bella gasped. "I can't believe this. We are finally going home!"

"Can we go back to the beach?" Leah asked. "Staying in this clearing is giving me the creeps."

"Yeah, what happened here? I know we didn't kill all these people. We only killed about 12 of them," he said, looking around at the carnage the littered the floor of the jungle.

"The rest of these people were survivors of flight 2232 also. Before you arrived here and saved us, Demitri and the other natives got an order from their leader to massacre all of our people, with the exception of us four," I said, gesturing to Leah, Bella, Alice, and myself. "We were lead into the trees by armed guards and the rest of them killed everyone. We could hear the screaming. It was horrible." I shuddered involuntarily.

"I'm very sorry," Carl said somberly. He bowed his head in an act of respect for the recently deceased.

"Please, can we go?" Alice said on the verge of tears.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

Carl and his team led us through the jungle. They were leading us and following us. Next to each of us, another one of them walked beside us.

Finally, we made it onto the beach. I looked around, but didn't see anybody.

"Carl!" I heard a voice call. A woman walked into view. She was short with long brown hair. She was dressed the same as Carl and his team, so I assumed she was part of his group. "Who are they?" she asked, pointing to the four of us.

"Other survivors."

"Edward told me 30 of them went into the jungle," she said, confused that there were only four of us.

"Yeah, we arrived a little too late. We were lucky they hadn't killed these girls yet."

"I understand. We lost four here," she said. "When we arrived, there were already four of them who had been killed. We rescued six here."

"So 10 total?" Carl asked.

"Looks like it."

The woman looked over at the four of us standing there, smiled, and walked toward us.

"Hi, I'm Eva Bruster," she said, extending a hand. Leah, Alice, Bella, and I all shook it.

"Where are the rest of the survivors?" Bella asked. I know she meant Edward.

"Sleeping. They've been sleeping in these little cabin things you built for the past two hours. Poor things."

"Are they okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, five of them are doing okay. The one has some serious injuries that need to be looked at immediately. Lucky for you, we have plenty of medical supplies with us."

"Who got hurt?" Alice asked, panicked.

"A young girl. She looked about 15. Long black hair, very pretty."

"Cynthia," we all murmured in unison, relieved.

"You don't look surprised."

"No. She was injured yesterday."

"Oh. Well lucky for her we arrived. If she didn't get any proper medical care soon, she was going to die. Steven, a member of our team, is tending to her now. He's got a medical degree, though he hasn't been practicing for the past couple years." She laughed.

She looked at the four of us again, appraising our appearances.

"Well, why don't the four of you go get some sleep. You look like death."

"Yes, that must be because we're exhausted. Not because we've been stranded on an uncharted island in the middle of the ocean for the past 68 days, fighting for our lives," I snapped at her. Who was this chick? What gave her the right to judge us and make underhanded comments like that?

"Excuse me, but who just rescued you? If it hadn't been for Carl, the four of you would be dead," she replied smugly.

"Actually, they weren't planning on killing us four," I replied. "They needed us for something, so if you're insinuating that we're four helpless girls who need a man to save us, think again. We've saved ourselves once, we can do it again."

"Would you like us to just leave now and let you all rescue yourselves?"

"She didn't mean that," Bella answered. She turned to me. "Shut up!" she whispered. "Don't you want to get the hell off of this island."

"Yes, but I don't trust this girl. Something seems off about her, about all of them."

"Look, we don't need to trust them 100%. We just need to trust that they are going to get us off this island."

"Okay."

"Do you know where Edward is?" Bella asked Eva. I can't believe Bella was thinking of spooning with Edward tonight after everything that had happened.

"Listen, I don't know what is going on with all of you, but everyone else is asleep. I'd pick an empty cabin and go to sleep. Besides, I don't know how they'd feel to a dead girl coming in and waking them at 3 in the morning."

"What do you mean, dead girl?" Leah asked.

"They all seem to think you girls are dead," Eva said.

"Dead?"

"They said something about them shooting Bella, Alice, Rosalie, and Leah when they wouldn't rat out Seth. They were pretty torn up when we got here and saved them."

"Oh my god, they must have thought those shots the natives fired into the dirt killed us!" Alice said, horrified.

"Well, we're not," I said. "Tomorrow, we'll come back from the dead, but now I'd like some sleep." I walked away from Eva and found an empty hut. I walked in, laid down on the mat, and grabbed the straw-and-leaf filled pillow. I rested my head and was about to close my eyes when the door opened again.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice asked.

I looked up and saw Alice standing in the doorframe. "Sorry, I just don't think I can be alone tonight. Not after what happened in the jungle."

I smiled at her. "Sure thing, babe." I scooted over to make some more room for her. She had at least thought enough and brought her own pillow with her.

There was a knock at the door. Alice got up and answered it.

"Got room for one more?" Bella asked, holding her pillow.

"Don't forget about me!" Leah said in mock outrage.

I laughed. "C'mon in you guys."

The four of us laid on the ground, resting our heads on each other.

I ended up with my head on Leah's shoulder and Alice's head on my back.

Finally feeling comfortable and safe, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

********

"_Happy Birthday, Rosalie!"_

_I walked into the mansion after spending all day out with Kendra and Bridgette, shopping for clothes. I had gotten new lingerie at Frederick's of Hollywood. I got a new pink ruffled bra with matching panties, a black corset that laced up in the front with white ribbon, five pairs of lace thongs in red, black, purple, turquoise, lilac, and white with matching bras, and pink satin cami and boy short set._

_I looked around, shocked. I had completely forgotten today was my birthday._

_Everyone in the mansion was dressed up in beautiful costumes and were wearing masks._

"_Happy birthday, Buttercup," a voice whispered in my ear._

_I turned around and saw Hef standing there in his usual attire. _

"_Pooky, you did this all for me?"_

"_Of course I did, You're my girl." He leaned forward and gave me a gentle kiss. "Now go upstairs and change. There's a dress and mask lying on your bed, waiting for you." He slapped me on the ass as I walked away._

_In my room, I saw a beautiful gown lying out on my bed. It was a burgundy red color. The bodice was form fitting while the skirt was wide with ruffles. It was strapless and had rhinestones embedded into the bodice. Each ruffle was attached to the dress with a rhinestone._

_The mask with it was just as beautiful. It was a white satin mask that covered my eyes. It had pearls surrounding the eyes. Some pearls and feather were coming off of the mask. On the left, there was a white stick to hold the mask with. That was covered in white satin and had white ribbon trailing off of it._

_There was also a jewelry case on the bed. I opened it and gasped. Inside, there was a stunning diamond necklace. On it, there were three-leaf clover shaped structures joined. In the middle, there was a four-leaf clover made of diamonds with a pearl dropping down so it fell right above my chest. __**(check out the dress, necklace, and mask pictures in my profile)**_

_After I was dressed, I walked down stairs, making my official entrance to my party. Hef had really outdone himself. Everyone looked like a million dollars in beautiful ball gowns, exquisite masks, and lots and lots of diamonds._

"_You look gorgeous!" Kendra gushed as I walked into the room. She and Bridgette fawned over me as I walked through the mansion, greeting all the guests. I waved hello to the other bunnies I saw. They were all in pretty gowns with amazing masks and diamonds, but no one's necklace was as big as mine. That made me happy._

"_You look amazing tonight, Ms. Hale," someone said to me. I looked next to me and saw an attractive man in a tux with a __Phantom of the Opera__ mask on._

"_Thanks," I said. I recognized him as Jasper Whitlock, the actor who had a think for Playboy models._

"_Did you want to go talk somewhere more private?" he asked, holding out his hand._

_I took it, but led him upstairs to my room._

_Once we were there, we got right down to business. I threw my mask on the ground and flung my arms around his neck. His lips were on mine, devouring me with a sexual hunger I had never felt before._

_I moved my arms from his neck, moving them to his waist so I could undo the buckle on his pants._

_As I was working on his pants, he unzipped the zipped on my dress and slid it off of me._

_I stood in front of him in a white corset, white lace thong, thigh high lace stockings, and white heels._

_His hands moved to the front of the corset I had on. He grabbed each side and pulled, popping the snaps._

_I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him onto my bed, pulling him in for another kiss._

_He moved his lips from my lips to my neck._

"_Oh, J, that feels so good," I moaned._

_He froze._

"_Uh, I have to go," he said, pushing himself off of me. He re-buttoned his pants, grabbed his coat and mask, and ran out of my room._

"_Did I do something?" I called out as he ran out of the room._

_I laid back down on my bed, confused. I had never been turned down by a guy before._

_What was wrong with me?_

********

"Wake up, sleepy head!" I opened my eyes and saw Alice kneeling on top of me.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I asked groggily.

"Don't you want to see your hot piece of ass of a boyfriend Emmett?"

"Is he out there?" I asked.

"Yep. But none of us have gone out there yet. I thought it would be best if we all walked out together, the four hot ghosts."

I started laughing. "Alice, that's a great idea."

"Well, now that Rose is up, we can return from the dead," Bella said.

The four of us got up and walked out onto the beach.

"Rose?" I heard someone shout. I looked over and saw Emmett standing by the fire pit, a look of pure shock on his face. "Rose!" he shouted again and started running toward me.

He lifted me into his arms and kissed me passionately.

"Oh my god, Rose! It's really you! You're alive!" He set me back on the ground, but kept his arms wrapped around me.

Around me, I heard Edward and Jasper calling out to Bella and Alice. The one that shocked me was Newton calling for Leah.

I looked over and saw him take her in his arms in a deep embrace.

"Newton and Leah?" I asked Emmett.

"Hey, this island is all about the power of love."

"So this thing with us, it's love?" I asked him. We had never told each other we loved one another.

"Well, it is for me."

"Ditto."

"Who are you? Patrick Swayze from Ghost?"

"What?"

"In Ghost, Patrick Swayze's character never told his girlfriend he loved her; he always said 'ditto' when she told him she loved him."

"Wow, you really are a dork," I told him, kissing him on the nose.

"But I'm _your_ dork," he said.

The two of us walked over to the fire pit, where all the people from the freighter were.

"Hey, Emmett," the one said.

"Hey, Steve."

"And _who_ is this?" he asked, looking at me.

"Rosalie Hale," I said, extending my hand.

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you the Playboy model?" he asked, gaping.

"Yep."

"Yeah, I remember reading there was a Playboy model on that plane."

"So, are we going to go back to your ship and go home today or what?" Emmett asked, trying to get the guy to stop staring at me.

"Uh, I have to check with Eva," Steve said.

"What do you need to check with me?" the woman named Eva asked, coming up behind Steve.

"What's the plan?"

"We're going to go into the jungle. You know, scope out the land. See if we find anything. Tonight, we'll go over our findings and come up with a plan. If you see _anybody_, we are to capture, not kill!"

"Gotcha."

What were they talking about? Why did they want to go around the island and learn the land? Weren't they here to rescue us?

"What about them?" Steve was asking.

"Keep them here for now. They might be useful later."

"Hey!" I called out to Eva.

"Yes, Miss Bitch?"

I ignored the bitch crack. "I thought you were supposed to be rescuing us. That _is_ why you are here, aren't you?"

"Of course!"

"Then why don't we go to your freighter now and leave this island?"

"You see, I can't make that call. I have to send a transmission to the ship and see if they can accommodate 10 extra passengers. Then, I have to clear everything with ship security, the cook, the maintenance crew, and the captain. I would do that now, but we're having a problem sending a transmission to the ship on our satellite phones currently. Once I'm able to send a transmission, then I can set up the move to the ship."

"So, what? Are we just supposed to wait here on this island until it's convenient for you to rescue us?" I snapped at her. I was seriously getting pissed now.

"Don't get snappy with me! I just explained to you that I'm not the one who decides when you can come to the ship. Once I'm able to send a transmission, I'll send it and let you know what's going on. Until then, just stay calm.

"Stay calm? STAY CALM?" I screamed at her. "I've been on this fucking island for 68 fucking days! I want to get the hell off! I want to go home!" I leaned into Emmett's chest and started sobbing.

Alice, Jasper, Bella, Edward, Mike, and Leah all came over.

"What's going on?" Bella asked.

"Apparently, we're not leaving just yet. Our self-proclaimed rescuers can't send a transmission to the ship. If they can't send the transmission, they can't clear our arrival with the captain. Until they get a signal, we're stuck here."

"Jason! Lindsay! Go get everyone up. I want to get a move on now," Eva ordered two of the members of her team.

They nodded and began banging on the doors to our huts. These people were invading our lives. It didn't seem right.

"What do you mean, 'get a move on'?" Edward asked.

"We need to get a feel for the island. I don't know how long we're going to be here."

"Just stay on the beach. There's a waterfall about a mile in that you can go bathe at and get fresh water from. Along that path, there are trees with plenty of fruit to get food."

Eva began laughing.

"You think I'm here to sight-see? No, I, unlike you, actually have work to do, if you'll excuse me." She made to push past Edward, but he grabbed her arm.

"Work?"

"I have a mission I need to complete," she said angrily.

"I thought your mission was to rescue us," Alice said.

"It was."

"Great. You rescued us. What else would you need to do for that mission?" Jasper asked.

"It's complicated."

"Try us," Edward said forcefully.

"You know how I told you I was here to rescue you? That wasn't the entire truth."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I was sent here by my boss to recover something that was stolen from him by Aro Volturi. He said if he doesn't get it back soon, something bad is going to happen."

"Like what?"

"Years ago, Aro stole some file from him with a bunch of codes, instructions, and plans. Plans to be used during a war. The file also had directions on how to find this island. Mr. Howard is pretty sure Aro has been living here since he stole the file."

"So he stole some file. Big deal," Emmett laughed.

"It _is_ a big deal. That file has instructions on how to manufacture and release a deadly gas, capable of killing millions of people in a matter of seconds. You've seen what Aro Volturi is capable of. Imagine if he actually made this gas and was able to deploy it."

"Oh my god! He could kill everyone in the world!" Alice screeched.

"Exactly. That's what we think he's doing. We believe he is planning on releasing this gas around the whole world, killing virtually everyone on the planet with the exception of those who chooses to allow to live. Then, he plans on repopulating the earth with a perfect human race. He, of course, would be ruler of the world."

I couldn't believe it. No one could be like that. It was impossible.

"I don't believe you," I said, looking at Eva.

"Listen, I know you don't like me or trust me, but you've got to believe me about this. Aro's been hiding on this island for the past 20 years. We think he's been making enough gas during that time to kill every human being on the planet, and he's planning on deploying it at the end of the year."

"I don't know…"

"If we don't stop him, everyone on this planet is going to die!"


	16. Chapter 15: The Lay of the Land

Chapter 15: The Lay of the Land

APOV

"_You can do this! You can do this!" I kept repeating to myself, looking at the big school from the driver's seat of my Audi A4 blue convertible._

_After last year, my parents decided to move me from Marymount to Beverly Hills High School, a co-ed public school._

_Since my school and Cynthia's school were on different sides of the county, she was driven by Hank and I got my own car so I could drive myself._

_I took a deep breath and got out of the car. A few people stared at me, but I ignored them._

_I found my way to the front office. "Hi," I greeted the secretary, smiling. "I'm Alice Brandon. Today's my first day."_

"_Welcome to Beverly Hills High," the old woman said, looking bored. She spun around in her chair and grabbed a folder. "Brandon…Brandon…ah! Here it is!" she said, pulling a sheet of paper out of the folder. She handed it to me._

"_This is your schedule. It's pretty easy to follow. Just go to the assigned rooms at the assigned times. Good luck." She waved me goodbye as I exited the office._

_I looked down at my schedule and saw I had my first class, English with Ms. Burbage, in one minute. I rushed down the hall to room S-227 and entered it as the bell rang._

"_Can I help you, dear?" Ms. Burbage asked, looking at me._

"_Umm, I'm Alice Brandon, and today's my first day. It says on my schedule that this is my first class."_

"_Welcome, Alice!" she greeted me warmly. "Why don't you tell us something about yourself?"_

"_Well, I went to Marymount High for the past 3 years, but decided it was time to try the public school route. I love reading, writing, and watching movies."_

_Someone in the back raised their hand._

"_Yes, Harry?" Ms. Burbage asked._

"_I had a question for you, Alice."_

"_Okay," I said, a little confused._

"_Are you Alice Brandon of Brandon Hotels?"_

"_Yes."_

"_You mean, you the heiress-slash-socialite?" a girl in the front row asked._

"_Mhmm."_

"_That is so cool!" she said, with awe on her face._

"_Well, Alice, why don't you find and empty seat and sit there for today," Ms. Burbage said, hurrying me away before she lost all control of her class._

_I sighed and trudged to the back of the class, plopping down in the first empty seat I found._

_Ms. Burbage talked about __1984__ for a while; I assumed it was the book we were now covering in class. I'd already read, which made it easy to follow along. Easy, but boring._

_I sailed through my morning classes .Luckily, going to a school like Marymount prepared me well for public school. I had already covered everything the teachers talked about in AP Calculus and AP Chemistry. I guess I was just going to sail through the rest of my senior year._

_I dropped off my books in my locker and grabbed my lunch. Here came the tricky part: finding someone to sit with at lunch. Unfortunately for me, everyone seemed to belong to a clique. Since I was starting in the middle of the year, it was hard to find friends. I was just closing my locker when three girls approached me._

"_Oh my gosh, I __love__ your dress!" the one squealed._

_I looked down: I was wearing a black sundress with yellow, red, and turquoise stripes on the skirt. I had put a red belt around the middle to accentuate my tiny waist. I had paired it with a plastic yellow beaded necklace and corked 5-inch yellow stilettos._

"_Umm, thanks," I said._

"_Where did you get it?" she asked, looking at me with eager eyes._

"_Thrift store. It's a sundress from the '80's."_

"_Vintage. Even better!"_

_I looked at her like she had just grown another head._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Melanie. This is Mia and Tracey. We were wondering if you wanted to have lunch with us."_

"_Sure," I said. Anything was better than eating alone, even if it meant I was going to be sitting with the blondourage._

"_So, how do you like BHHS?" Tracey asked._

"_It's okay. All my classes are pretty easy. It's going to be a boring rest of the year," I sighed._

"_Let me see your schedule," Melanie said, taking the piece of paper out of my hand. She studied it for a minute, then shoved it back in my waiting hands. "How can you say that schedule is easy? You're in __all__ AP classes!"_

_I shrugged my shoulders. "I didn't have many friends at my old school, so I spent my weekends reading, writing, and studying."_

"_How could you not have any friends? You're so pretty!" Mia exclaimed._

"_And nice," Tracey added._

"_And the coolest girl I've ever met," Melanie said, smiling._

"_Thanks, but I've honestly never really gotten along with people. The whole heiress thing tends to make girls hate me, and then after I cut 12 inches off my hair, they all called me a lesbian, and then I didn't go back to school after my stint in rehab."_

"_Oh yeah, I remember reading about that," Melanie said, shrugging. "Well, whatever, you're here now. What happened in the past doesn't matter."_

"_Hey Melanie, Mia, Tracey, New Girl," a cute guy said, joining us at our table._

"_Alice, this is Trent. Trent, Alice," Melanie said, introducing us._

"_Nice to meet you, Trent."_

"_Likewise. So Mel, are you still having that party this weekend or am I going to have to find somewhere else to get plastered?" Trent asked._

"_No, it's still on. Wanna come, Alice?"_

"_Sure," I said enthusiastically._

"_I see you finally found someone else to form the 'fab four' you've always been talking about," Trent said to Melanie, nodding in my direction._

_I finally found a school where I actually belonged._

********

"Oh my god! He could kill everyone in the world!" I screamed. It was so hard to wrap my head around what Eva was saying. Why would someone kill everyone else in the world?

"Exactly. That's what we think he's doing. We believe he is planning on releasing this gas around the whole world, killing virtually everyone on the planet with the exception of those who chooses to allow to live. Then, he plans on repopulating the earth with a perfect human race. He, of course, would be ruler of the world."

"I don't believe you," Rose said, glaring at Eva. I was with her. I just _couldn't_ believe this. It seemed so hokey and science-fiction-ey.

"Listen, I know you don't like me or trust me, but you've got to believe me about this. Aro's been hiding on this island for the past 20 years. We think he's been making enough gas during that time to kill every human being on the planet, and he's planning on deploying it at the end of the year."

"I don't know…"

"If we don't stop him, everyone on this planet is going to die!"

I gasped loudly. "What? How could he do something like that?"

"Aro Volturi is a heartless man who only cares about himself. He does anything he can to get what he wants. He is the reason you ended up on this island."

"That's impossible," Emmett scoffed. "How could he possibly bring down a huge plane?"

"You're underestimating him. He has weapons and powers at his disposal that not even the world's leading scientists have _dreamed_ of yet. Everything he does, no matter how big or small, is all bringing him closer to his end goal. Forcing your plane to crash here was only part of his 'master plan'."

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking Eva in the eyes.

"Please, Alice, do you think all of you crashed here by _accident?_ All of you were brought here for a reason. My guess is Aro wants to use you girls to help repopulate the world when he's forming his 'perfect society.' I mean, all of you are beautiful women. In his eyes, I'm guessing, you would produce perfect offspring, and that's what he wants: a perfect society."

"That is…sick," Bella said with disgust.

"I know," Eva said. "That's why we're here. We need to end this once and for all."

"Well, I want to help," I said.

"Alice, sweetie," Jasper said, taking my hand, "I don't think that's a good idea. These people are trained professionals who know what they're doing. You're an heiress who has never done anything like this before."

"Excuse me, Jasper, I believe I was in the group that rescued Bella from James. I've been all over this island!" I huffed. I couldn't believe Jasper, the love of my life, didn't think I could do _anything_ to help.

"Actually, you could help us with something," Steven said, looking at me. "Actually, all of you could help us. You've been on this island for 68 days, so you must know the layout pretty well. We want to make a kind of map so we can navigate really easily. If we split into groups and have some of you guys show us around, it'll take a lot less time than if we did it ourselves. Maybe they can even show us where Aro is."

"That's actually a great idea, Steven," Eva said.

"Yeah, I'd love to help you guys with that," I said. "What do you guys say?" I asked the others.

"If it gets us off this island quicker, then yeah," Edward said reluctantly. "How about me, Emmett, Jasper, and Mike go with these guys and Alice, Bella, Rosalie, and Leah can stay at camp with Seth and Cynthia?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Emmett said.

"Yeah, I'm fine with that," Jasper added.

"No way!" Rosalie shrieked. "I am _not_ being left here like some kind of babysitter. If you guys are going into the jungle, so am I."

"Yeah, just because we're girls doesn't mean we're helpless," Bella said, annoyed.

"Excuse me, but I believe this was all _my_ idea," I reminded them.

"I'm sick of always being left behind," Leah added hotly.

"How about we go in groups of two?" Newton offered as a compromise. "Edward can go with Bella, Emmett with Rosalie, Jasper with Alice, and I'll go with Leah."

"I don't know…" Edward started, looking at Bella. He was never going to let her go anywhere ever again. I felt bad for her.

"I think it's a _great_ idea," Bella said, glaring at Edward.

"It's settled then!" I exclaimed, before any of the other guys could jump in and prevent us from going.

"Okay, why don't Bella and Edward go with Steven, Jasper and Alice go with Carl, Emmett and Rosalie go with Savannah, and I'll go with Mike and Leah," Eva said, assigning everyone to a group.

It was then decided that Bella and Edward would cover the east side of the island, Emmett and Rosalie would cover the north, Mike and Leah would go to the west, while Jasper and I showed Carl the south end.

Jasper and I walked hand in hand while Carl stayed to our left. Occasionally, we would point out things and he would mark them on a sheet of paper. We showed him the trail we took to the waterfall and took him there.

After that, we walked out of the jungle and headed to the mountain on the island that we had all steered clear of.

"Actually, none of us have ever been up there. We tend to stay away from it," I told Carl as the three of us stared up at the massive mountain.

"Well, no better way to see what's up there than climbing it," Carl said brightly. Jasper and I looked at each other, but we followed Carl up the mountain.

********

"_Okay, now let's get one with you putting the corsage on her!" my mom said, excited. I silently groaned and rolled my eyes._

"_Mom!" I complained._

"_Alice, be quiet. How often is it that my daughter goes to her senior prom?"_

_I shook my head and let Trent slide on the pink rose corsage he bought me on my wrist. My mom snapped another picture._

_I had to give my parents credit—even though they were multi-millionaires, they were acting the way every single parent does before their kid goes to prom: mortifyingly embarrassing._

_Trent put his arm around me and we smiled for another picture. Then, the doorbell rang._

_Melanie, Mia, and Tracey were standing on my front step with their dates. Trent and I decided to go together. He agreed because Elisa Barrett was stalking him, trying to get him to ask her to prom, and I couldn't walk down the hall without someone asking me. It was easier this way—we were good friends and we would have a lot more fun than if we went with some random person._

_Secretly, I wished I could have gone with Mark. Before Trent arrived, I spent an hour in my room crying over Mark. It had been almost a year since he died, and I still thought about him constantly._

"_Oh my gosh, Alice, you look soooo pretty!" Mia gushed._

"_I __love__ your dress!" Melanie squealed._

"_I wish mine was that nice," Tracey said._

"_You all look really pretty, too," I said, looking at my three best friends. Mia was in a red dress with thin spaghetti straps. There was no back with the exception of the straps crossing at the top of her back. Right above her ass, there was a diamond chain. The dress also had a huge slit up to her thigh._

_Melanie had on a pink dress. Her straps made a V right below her throat. There was a lot of ruching on her boobs and on the back at her rib cage. In the back, there were holes cut out all along the spine._

_Tracey had on a gold, floor-length gown. The straps crossed right on her shoulder blades. The dress was made out of silk with a plunging neckline in the front._

_My dress was vintage Chanel. It was a black, floor-length gown. There were many ruffles on the skirt of the dress and more ruffles around the collar and sleeves. I had on Louboutin heels that were encrusted with diamonds. My bag was black, beaded Valentino._

_All three girls had their hair done the same: the hair was curled with some of it piled on top of their heads. Since my hair was much shorter than their blonde, flowing locks, I ended up just spiking it out like I normally did. _

_We all lined up and took some more pictures, then we all got in the limo and went to dinner. _

_We pulled into "Spago" 10 minutes later and all walked in. At the table, I sat between Trent and Melanie. Trent kept grabbing my hand under the table while Melanie kept talking to me, avoiding her boyfriend Kevin's eyes._

"_Is something going on with you and Kevin?" I whispered in her ear._

"_He's driving me crazy!" Melanie whispered back. "He won't leave me alone for one minute! Like if I want to go to the bathroom, he follows me. It's ridiculous. I think I'm going to dump him."_

"_Aww, that's too bad. You guys are so cute together."_

"_I'd like everyone's attention!" a man's voice echoed through the restaurant. I looked over at another table and there was a really hot older guy kneeling on one knee in front of a pretty brown-haired girl._

"_Isabella Swan?" he asked, looking in his girlfriend's eyes. I looked at her face and saw she was crying. "I love you. I will love you forever. I will never love anyone the way I love you. Will you marry me?" He reached into his pocket and produced a small black box. He opened it and pulled out a diamond ring._

_I looked back to Isabella Swan. She smiled and nodded her head. Everyone in the restaurant burst into applause._

"_That's so romantic!" Mia gushed. "When a guy proposes to me, I hope he does it like that. I want __everyone__ to know, even complete strangers."_

"_Mia, not everyone lives in a romance novel like you," I joked. Everyone laughed._

"_Laugh all you want, but you know you wish someone would do that for you, Alice," Mia said, looking at me._

"_Yeah, sure. Like I would ever meet a guy who is a hopeless romantic like that."_

********

When we made it to the top of the mountain, all three of us were out of breath.

"Jeez," Jasper huffed, "could that be any more physically draining?"

"Don't—think—so," Carl panted.

I couldn't muster up enough energy to say anything, so I just leaned against Jasper. Apparently, he didn't have enough energy to support me, and we both fell on the ground. He looked at me and we both started cracking up.

"Alice, I've never met anyone like you before."

"That's because I'm one of a kind. Besides, I'm very different from your 'normal' girlfriend. I've seen all the girls you go around with in Hollywood. Playmates, with blonde hair and big breasts. Like my friends from school." I laughed when I thought of Melanie, Mia, and Tracey. They were all probably working for Playboy now. I hadn't seen them since last summer.

"That's not what I meant," Jasper said, justifying himself. "I mean, you're different personality wise. I never found anyone who laughed over stupid things like you do, or can find the good in any situation, no matter how shitty it is."

"Well, the world needs optimists like me," I said, smiling.

Jasper sat up and gently lifted me off his lap.

"Jas, what are you—" I started to say, but Jasper cut me off by putting his finger against my lips to quiet me.

"Please, let me talk," he said. He pushed himself up so he was on one knee in front of me.

"Alice Brandon, I know we're on a deserted island, I know we've only known each other 68 days, but I feel like I've known you my whole life. You are the person I've always been looking for. You're my soul mate. Will you marry me?" Jasper looked into my eyes, searching for my answer.

I brought my finger up to my eyes and wiped underneath it; I had started to cry.

The truth was, I felt the exact same way about Jasper. Even though we had only known each other for a very short period of time, I already knew we were destined to be together. "Soul mates" was the perfect word used to describe us.

With tears still spilling out of my eyes, I looked at Jasper. "Yes, Jasper. Of course I'll marry you. I love you more than anything else in this world!" I jumped up and wrapped my arms around Jasper's neck, pulling him into a deep kiss.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and deepened the kiss. He pulled away and looked at me. "I don't have a ring yet," he said, looking at me with apologizing eyes.

"Here," I said, pulling a piece of grass out of the ground. "Tie this around my ring finger. When we get off this island, you can buy me a proper engagement ring," I said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. He smiled at me.

"Whatever makes you happy, future Mrs. Whitlock."

"Hey!" Carl called over to us. I looked up and saw him standing at the edge of the cliff. "Come here for a sec. I think I found something."

The two of us rose from the ground and joined Carl at the edge. I looked out into the ocean and saw a large boat in the distance.

"Is that your boat?" I asked Carl.

"Yeah, but that's not what I was talking about. Look down."

Both Jasper and I leaned out heads over the edge of the cliff and gasped. Below us were hundreds of bodies lying among the rocks in the water.

"What are they doing there?" I asked, fighting back tears.

"I have a theory," Carl muttered. "I can only confirm that theory when I see Aro Volturi."

"Hey, look," I said, pointing down to a small ledge jutting out about 20 feet below us. "There's something on that ledge. What do you think it is?" I asked them.

"What?" Carl asked.

"Down there, on the ledge."

"Where?" he asked.

I walked closer to the ledge. I was going to point to the orange object on the ledge when I lost my footing. I slipped and fell over the edge.

I closed my eyes and started to scream when a hand grabbed me. I looked up and saw Jasper's hand holding mine. I felt my legs dangling below me.

"Jasper," I screamed, "don't let me go!"

"I won't Alice! Just hold on! Carl!" he called over his shoulder. "Come help me!"

"Damnit!" I heard Carl shout.

"Get up and help me!" Jasper shouted at him.

While Jasper was calling to Carl, I felt my hand slipping.

"Jasper, I don't think I can hold on," I whispered, terrified. I didn't want to fall on the rocks like all those people below me.

"No, Alice, don't give up!"

"I love you, Jasper."

My hand slipped out of his, and the only thing I felt was the cool air rushing around me as I dropped to the rocks below.

**Pictures of the prom dresses and Alice's school outfit are in my profile. Hope you like this chapter!**


	17. Chapter 16: An Unexpected Surprise

**AN: This chapter is for one of my reviewers who asked for a Leah-POV. Enjoy.**

Chapter 16: An Unexpected Surprise

LPOV

"_Lee-Lee, time for bed," my mom said, looking over her book at me coloring on the floor._

"_But I'm not ti-ti-tierd," I said, stifling a yawn._

"_You are too, young lady. Bed. Now."_

"_Can't I stay up and color for 10 more minutes? Pleeeeease?"_

"_Leah, we go through this every night. And every time I let you stay up a little later, you're tired and grumpy in the morning. You yelled at Seth today. He's only 2, sweetie."_

"_I'm sorry, Mom." I started cleaning up my coloring book and crayons. I didn't tell my mom, but I didn't want to stay up later so I could color longer._

"_Mommy, where's Daddy?"_

"_He's out with his friends from work, honey. He should be back soon."_

_I didn't say anything. I just went to my room and changed into my pink Minnie Mouse nightgown. I grabbed my teddy bear and climbed into bed. A few minutes later, I was sleeping._

_Later that night, I felt someone rubbing my head and smoothing my hair. I rolled over and opened my eyes. My dad was sitting next to me on my bed. My body instantly stiffened when I saw him._

"_Hey, angel. Did I wake you?" he whispered lovingly._

"_No, Daddy. I was already up," I said, determined not to let the fear show in my voice._

"_You know I love you, don't you, pumpkin?"_

"_Yes, Daddy."_

"_Come here and give Daddy a kiss."_

_My dad leaned into my face and pressed his lips to mine. He forced his tongue into my mouth. I closed my eyes and balled my hands into fists to keep from screaming out for my mom._

"_Come to Daddy, Leah." My dad picked me up off the bed and gently removed my nightgown. I knew not to scream out; it didn't do any good._

_I kept my eyes closed as his hand snaked around my abdomen and down into my panties. I felt his fingers touching me._

_I knew this was wrong. Daddies were not supposed to love their daughters this way. I squeezed my eyes closed tighter and felt a tear escape my eye._

_I always promised myself I wouldn't cry, but tonight it was becoming too much._

_For six months, my dad had been coming into my room at night and telling me how much he loved me. He then proceeded to "show" me how he loved me._

_I wanted to tell my mom, but I was afraid she wouldn't believe me. Or worse, she'd take Daddy's side and let it keep happening. _

_After 20 minutes, Daddy pulled his hand out of my underwear, gave me a kiss on the forehead, and left my room._

_I grabbed my nightgown from the bottom of my bed, pulled it back on, then laid back down, where I slowly broke down into quiet sobs._

********

Guys are so stupid. Seriously, like I can't take care of myself. Edward needed to pull his head out of his ass and join us in the 21st century, where women were equal to men. I don't know how Bella put up with him. Maybe he had a really big dick.

No. He just _was_ a really big dick.

I walked back to my hut to gather a few things before I left with Mike to help show our "rescuers" the island. While inside, I started feeling really nauseas and proceeded to vomit on my bed. Great.

I wondered if I was coming down with some random island illness. I hoped not.

"Leabug, you ready?" Mike called to me from outside my hut. I grabbed my bag and joined him outside. I walked to his side and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

We walked up to Eva and the three of us started out to map the west side of the island. Mike held my hand the whole time we walked. We walked through paths we had taken before to find food. We made it to the west beach where the guys sometimes went to hunt crabs.

We passed by a meadow Mike and I had some to one day when we went for a walk. I remembered that day: Mike and I had just started our relationship, so we went for a romantic walk around the island. We stumbled upon a beautiful meadow in the middle of the jungle, and we laid in there for a few hours, kissing. One thing led to another, and we ended up making love that day.

That's when I realized not all love is bad.

Sure, it's bad when your dad uses it as an excuse to sneak into your room at night and take advantage of you when you're 7 years old. It's not bad when it's with someone you trust completely.

"Are you feeling okay?" Mike asked me as we were walking. "You don't look too hot."

"You think I'm ugly?" I joked.

"Ha ha, very funny. I'm serious, though. After you came out of your hut this morning, you didn't look too good."

"I'm fine; I just think I may be coming down with something. I was feeling a little nauseas this morning. It's probably some weird island bug, so no kissing on the lips until I'm better, okay? I don't want you to get sick, too."

"What if I don't care?" Mike said, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me into a deep embrace. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. Damn football players.

"Mike!" I said, play hitting him on the shoulder. "Please, I'll feel terrible if you end up getting sick because of me." I leaned my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around my waist.

For the second time today, a wave of nausea hit me. I ran over to the nearest tree and threw up behind it. Mike came over, looking worried.

"Baby, are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Mike, it's just some island bug. I'm sure it will clear up in a few days. Let's continue mapping the island so these people can capture Aro and we can go home." I reached for Mike's and we kept walking through the jungle with Eva.

After we were sure we had gotten all the west side covered, the three of us headed back to camp. On the way back, I got sick a few more times. Mike looked really worried, but I told him not to worry. It couldn't be anything too serious.

When we walked back into camp, Edward, Bella, and Steven were back.

"Hey, guys!" I greeted them. "Everything went okay?"

"Yeah, I got a good feel for the area," Steven said, looking at Eva.

"Hey, Steven, you're a doctor, right?" I asked him.

"Well, yeah, though I haven't been actively practicing," he answered.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe you knew what I have. I haven't been feeling too well. My stomach hurts and I've been getting waves of nausea."

"You're pregnant," Bella called over to me.

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"I said you're pregnant. Do your boobs hurt?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Are you feeling nauseas when you smell something, like the ocean or food?"

I thought about it for a minute. Every time I threw up, I remembered some strong odor. "Yeah," I said reluctantly.

"Do you remember your last period?"

I thought for a minute. "Uh, I think it was 15 days ago."

"You didn't think that was odd?" Bella asked.

"Well, no, not really. I mean, we're on some strange island in the middle of the ocean. I just assumed it was messing with my cycle."

"I'm guessing you had unprotected sex while you were here?"

I glanced over at Mike. We had never even thought about the possibility of me getting pregnant when we had sex.

"Shit," I muttered. I turned back to Bella. "Hey, how did you know I was pregnant right away? You're not pregnant too, are you?"

"Of course not," she answered. "I was when I was 14, though."

Suddenly, a wave of fear came over me.

"Oh my god, what am I going to do?"

"Uh, I'd say you're going to have a baby," Bella answered sarcastically.

"That's not what I mean," I said. "Don't you remember what Eleazar told us when he came to our camp about pregnant women?"

"No. I was probably still recovering from my wonderful experience with James."

I took a steadying breath. "He told us about when he had been kept prisoner by the natives. He said he saw a lot of different people in the other cages. He told us about the women they did experiments on. The pregnant women."

I felt Mike stiffen beside me. It must mean he remembered what I was talking about.

"He told us how they would impregnate these women and observe their progress. He told us how after two months, the women began vomiting blood. Two weeks after that, their hair started falling out. A week later, they started drastically losing weight. In the third month, they slipped into a coma and never woke up. He said no pregnant woman on this island has ever made it into the fourth month."

"I don't understand," Bella said.

"Pregnant women on this island die. For some reason, the body starts attacking itself. Slowly, the body systems start shutting down until the woman slips into a coma and never wakes up again."

"Oh my gosh!" Bella gasped.

I nodded slowly. "Worse, he said, was the fact that during the whole dying process, you're in extreme pain. He told us how the women would scream into the night because the pain was never ending. He told us how some of the women strangled themselves with their own clothing to escape the pain."

Bella came over to me and put her arms around me. "It's going to be okay, Leah, I promise."

We both sat in the sand. I leaned my head on her shoulder and began to cry, terrified for my life.

********

"_Forks police station; this is Officer Charlie Swan speaking. How can I help you?" a voice said into the phone._

"_Hi, this is Leah Andrews. L-e-a-h A-n-d-r-e-w-s. I'm 7 years old and live at number 18 Coast Guard Street in the La Push reservation. I need to report something."_

"_Go ahead, sweetie," Officer Charlie said kindly._

"_My father's been touching me," I said, unsure of how else to say it._

"_You mean he's been beating you?" Officer Charlie asked._

"_No. He comes into my room at night and-and-and—" I stopped talking and started crying into the phone._

"_It's okay, Leah. Take all the time you need."_

_I wiped away my tears and continued. "He comes in at night and he'll tell me he loves me, but then he takes off my clothes and touches me. It doesn't feel like how a daddy should act with his daughter," I said._

"_Okay, Leah, I need you to listen to me. I'm going to hang up after this. In about 10 minutes, I'm going to be at your house in my police car. You and I are going to go to the police station and talk a little more. After that, I'll decide what's best with what to do with you. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes," I whispered._

"_Okay, Leah. I'll see you in 10 minutes."_

_I hung up the phone and walked downstairs, where my mom was feeding Seth lunch. I went into the living room and sat in front of the window, looking for the police car._

_After 10 minutes, I saw the car pull up in front of the house. A brown-haired cop with a mustache got out of the car and walked up to the door and rung the bell. I ran to the door and opened it._

"_Are you Leah?" Officer Charlie asked, looking at me kindly._

_I nodded._

"_Are your parents here?"_

"_My mom is."_

"_I need to speak to her before I take you," he said._

_My mom walked into the room with Seth on her hip. "Hi, can I help you?" she asked, looking at Officer Charlie with apprehension._

"_I'm here investigating a report of abuse in this household. I'm going to need to take Leah with me to talk to her a little more."_

_Mom grabbed my arm and pulled me behind her. "I don't know who told you that, but neither me nor my husband has __ever__ beaten our children. These children are loved and cared for!"_

"_Ma'am, I don't mean physical abuse. About 15 minutes ago, I got a call from your daughter, claimer her father was touching her inappropriately during the night. I need to take her to the station to talk to her a little more and get an expert opinion on what course of action to take next."_

"_Leah, is this true?" my mother asked, a furious expression creeping onto her face._

_I nodded, keeping my eyes on the ground._

"_How could you go this?" my mother shouted at me. "Do you know what everyone in town is going to think? Do you know what's going to happen to Daddy now? He might go to jail! How could you be so __stupid__, Leah?"_

_I put my head in my hands and started crying again._

"_Leah, you're coming with me," Officer Charlie said, putting an arm around me. _

_He led me out to his car and we drove to the police station._

_Once there, I told them what happened. They brought in a child psychiatrist and he asked me a bunch of questions. Later, they brought my brother in and my dad went to jail. Seth and I were placed in foster care._

_A year later, we were adopted by a family that lived in Seattle. Sue and Harry Clearwater were the greatest things we could ask for in parents. Soon, I began to forget all about my life in Forks._

********

I was sitting on Mike's lap as he rocked me back and forth, trying to calm me down. I hadn't stopped crying since I realized I was going to die unless I got off this island soon.

"Where's Seth?" I asked Mike.

"He's still in with Cynthia. She isn't doing much better. Unless they get her to an actual hospital, she's probably going to die from an infection.

"Eva! Eva!" Savannah called to her from the other side of the beach. "I got it! I got a signal!"

Eva got up from the ground and ran over to Savannah. She grabbed the satellite phone from her hand and started dialing on it. She held it to her ear, waiting for someone to pick up.

"Tony? Tony, is that you? It's Eva." I watched her walking around on the beach, speaking into the phone. At one point, she looked livid and started screaming into the phone.

"Damnit, Tony! This girl is going to die unless we get her on that boat now! Peter's the best and you know it! She needs a sterile environment. Tony, she's fucking 15 years old, man!"

A minute later, she wrapped up the conversation and walked back over to us.

"They agreed to let Cynthia with one other person go to the ship. We have a really good doctor on board who will be able to care for her and prevent the infection she's getting now."

"Send Seth," I croaked. "He's been in there with her 24/7, and it's better he gets off this island before we have another fight. I don't know if I could stand it if he got hurt."

"No, Leah, you need to get off!" Bella yelled at me.

I shook my head. "It won't do any good. The ship is in too close a proximity to the island. Even if I'm on the ship, if it doesn't leave before the correct time, I'll die."

Mike's arms tightened around my waist and he buried his face in my hair.

"Are Alice and Jasper back yet?" Rosalie asked. "I don't feel comfortable sending Cynthia off the island without Alice knowing."

"I haven't seen them since they left with Carl. They should be back now," Eva said, looking a little worried. "Let me radio Carl." She picked up her walkie-talkie and held it up to her mouth.

"Carl, you there?"

"Uh, now isn't a great time, Eva," Carl's panicked voice replied.

"Carl, what's going on?"

"We've just had a minor situation, that's all."

"What do you mean 'minor situation?'"

"We'll be back at camp soon." The radio went dead—Carl must have shut it off.

We all looked around at each other, worried by Carl's tone. Had something happened to Alice and Jasper? If so, why didn't Carl tell us?

We heard footsteps approaching, and saw Carl enter the camp.

"Carl, what's going on? Where are Alice and Jasper?" Eva asked. Carl jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

We all looked behind him and saw Jasper entering the camp. In his arms was Alice, her body covered in bruises and cuts. Her shirt, white originally, was stained red. Her hair was matted where the blood had dried on her face.

She wasn't moving.


	18. Chapter 17: Sisterly Goodbyes

Chapter 17: Sisterly Goodbyes

JPOV

"_Cut!" Michael Bay, the director of the film yelled._

"_What did we do wrong now?" I asked, getting annoyed. We'd been working on the same fucking scene for almost a week and he __still__ didn't like it._

"_Jasper, you need to make Tom seem like a real jack ass. He feels like he can get anything he wants because he's rich, and he doesn't see Lincoln as a person. He only sees him as something he owns, so treat him that way!"_

_I nodded, and we started filming again. We went through the scene five more times before he was satisfied with it._

_Muttering about unreasonable directors, I walked to my trailer and got changed out of my costume and back into my jeans and tee._

_A sharp knock sounded against my trailer door. I went to it and opened the door._

"_Is the famous Jasper Whitlock's trailer?" Emmett said, smirking, standing on the porch of my trailer._

"_What the fuck do you want?" I asked him, gesturing him to follow me._

"_Here," he said, tossing me a magazine. "Thought you might find that interesting."_

_I picked up whatever tabloid he had tossed me and looked at the cover. On the front, there was a picture of Alice Brandon, the teenage heiress to the Brandon hotel fortune, being wheeled out of her school on a stretcher. The headline read, "Teenage Heiress Checks Into Rehab!"_

"_Is this for real?" I asked him._

_He nodded. "It seems today's youth is more corrupt than we were. Apparently, she was found in the bathroom at her school, passed out. The school's saying she showed up to school, drunk or high or whatever and then passed out in the middle of first period."_

"_Sad. You gotta wonder what would cause a teenager to go to school drunk. I mean, she started boozing it up at like seven in the morning. That's ridiculous."_

"_I know, man. Even __I__ wait until noon."_

"_True. Why did you think I'd find this interesting?"_

"_Since you're all hung up on that chick."_

"_What are you talking about?" I said, trying not to panic. No one knew about my obsession with Alice Brandon except me. I had never told Emmett, my closest friend, this._

"_Dude, I'm your biffle, or whatever chicks call it. Do you honestly think I don't notice that you're always checking out the shit with her on the cover, or how you perk up when her name is mentioned on E! or whatever crap station we're watching? I may not be smart, but I'm not an idiot, either."_

_I sighed and rubbed my eyes. "I guess I underestimated you, Emmett. You're not a dumb jock, after all. But can we please drop this now?"_

_Emmett gave me a knowing smile. "So, how goes __The Island__? Better yet, what's it like to kiss Scarlett Johansson? Do you think you could get me her number?"_

_I sighed and listened to Emmett go on about how hot my costar was. I half listened while my thoughts drifted to Alice Brandon. I hoped she was okay at whatever rehab facility she was taken to._

********

"Whatever makes you happy, future Mrs. Whitlock," I said, smiling when I said it. I couldn't believe Alice said she was going to marry me. This was probably the happiest day of my life.

"Hey!" Carl called over to us. I turned to face Carl and saw him looking over the edge of the cliff. Weird. "Come here for a sec. I think I found something."

I stood up, then grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her to her feet. The two of us walked over to where Carl was a peered out into the ocean.

"Is that your boat?" Alice asked. I looked to where she was pointing and saw a large boat in the distance. I smiled when I saw it. I couldn't believe rescue was really that close. I gave Alice's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah, but that's not what I was talking about. Look down," Carl ordered.

Both Alice and I moved our eyes from the boat to the ocean below us. We both gasped loudly when we saw what was below us.

In the water, there was a formation of sharp rocks. Among the rocks, hundreds of bodies were draped over the rocks. They were in odd positions, showing that these people weren't alive.

"What are they doing there?" Alice asked. I could tell she was trying not to cry. I put an arm around her.

"I have a theory," Carl muttered. "I can only confirm that theory when I see Aro Volturi."

I stared at Carl. By his expression, I could tell he was not looking forward to meeting this Aro guy, not after seeing the bodies below us.

Hey, look," Alice said, pointing into the water. "There's something on that ledge. What do you think it is?" she asked.

The ledge? I didn't even realize there was a ledge coming off of the cliff. I only saw the massive carnage that laid below us.

"What?" Carl asked, looking at Alice like she was crazy.

"Down there, on the ledge," she said impatiently, pointing down again.

"Where?" Carl asked, looking really confused. Alice let go of my hand and walked a little closer to the edge, ready to show Carl whatever was on the ledge.

It happened in an instant. Alice lost her balance as she approached the ledge, and she slipped. First, her feet went over, followed by her chest, her arms, and her head. I heard her screams echoing in the wind as she went over.

I sprang forward before I even knew I was doing it, grabbing her hand as it disappeared off the cliff.

"Jasper!" she screamed, tears falling down her cheeks. "Don't let me go!" Her legs were flailing as she hung off the edge of the cliff. I could feel the rocks starting to cut into my arms and my hands start to perspire.

"I won't, Alice! Just hold on!" She looked up at me, her eyes filled with terror. She didn't want to end up like those people on the rocks below. "Carl!" I called over my shoulder. "Come help me!"

I saw Carl hesitate for a moment. He didn't want to end up going over the ledge like her, but he couldn't let her fall. He took a step forward, then tripped over a rock, skidding on the ground.

"Damnit!" he shouted. I saw his leg was all scraped up and bleeding.

"Get up and help me!" I shouted at him. I saw him try to stand up, but he winced in pain when he put pressure on his injured leg. Fuck, I was on my own.

While Carl was tending to his leg, I started to feel Alice's hand slip. My hand was covered in sweat now. I needed to try and pull her up, but it was too hard to do with one arm.

"Jasper," I heard her whisper, "I don't think I can hold on." Her face was drenched in a mixture of tears and sweat now.

"No, Alice, don't give up!" I shouted at her. I wouldn't let her fall. I _had_ to save her!

"I love you, Jasper," she said to me, her hand slipping out of mine.

"Alice!" I called out to her, wishing her hand was still in mine, but saw her falling as I looked down. I closed my eyes, unwilling to watch my fiancé fall to her death. A moment later, I heard a thud.

I thought she would have made a splash, since she was falling into the ocean. Carefully, I peered over the edge. Instead of seeing Alice's mangled body on the rocks with all the other unfortunate victims, she was lying on the ledge below.

"Alice!" I called out to her, relieved that she hadn't fallen to her death. She didn't answer me. "Alice!" I called again. No response. I looked carefully at her and saw her head was bleeding profusely. I had to get down to her to stop the bleeding, but I didn't know how to do it without killing myself.

"Carl," I said, approaching him on the ground.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any mountain gear?" I asked.

"Mountain gear?" he said, looking as confused as he did when Alice said she saw something on the ledge.

"Yeah, you know, like rope, carabineers, harnesses."

"Like to climb mountains?

"Yeah. Do you have anything like that?"

"Sure I do, but I don't understand why you would need it. We're already up here, and there's a path back to the bottom. Why would you need it?"

"I'm going to get Alice."

********

"_I can't believe you're making me come here," I muttered to Emmett. The two of us were in a limo, driving to the Playboy mansion for some masquerade party. _

"_Cheer up, Whitlock. It'll be fun."_

"_Why didn't you just take Edward?" I asked him. "Edward could use a fun night out. I'm always having fun nights out and I really just wanted to __chill__ for __once__ in my life tonight."_

"_Do you honestly think Tanya would let Edward come to a party at the Playboy mansion?" Emmett asked._

"_Good point."_

"_Anyways, Edward is on duty at the hospital tonight."_

"_So I become your new wingman?"_

"_What are you talking about, bro? You've __always__ been my wingman. Quit bitching and enjoy yourself," he said as we exited the limo and walked up the path to the mansion._

"_I feel like an idiot in this," I said under my breath to Emmett._

"_Oh, shut up. Chicks dig __Phantom of the Opera__. I'm sure you could land a few hotties while we're here. Not as many as me, of course," he said, flexing his muscles._

"_Hey, Emmett," I said, fighting back a laugh. "Maybe amber will be here tonight."_

_Emmett stopped walking. "I'll kill him," he growled murderously under his breath._

"_Oh, calm down," I said. "You didn't honestly think he would never tell me that, did you?"_

_Emmett smiled reluctantly. "I guess not," he said, punching me in the arm, a little harder than normal. He must still be pissed. Whatever._

_The two of us walked in, and instantly a group of girls came over to us. After all, we were Jasper Whitlock and Emmett Cullen, A-list actor and Super Bowl winning defensive linebacker; we were the two hottest things in the room._

"_Why are they even having this party?" I asked Emmett._

"_Rosalie Hale's birthday."_

"_Oh."_

"_Why don't you go after her? After all, she is hot. And she's the Playmate of the year! Anyway, she'll keep your mind off the barely-legal, just-out-of-rehab heiress."_

"_Why don't __you__ go for her?" I asked him, glaring. It was a low blow to bring Alice Brandon into the conversation and he knew it._

"_Because I'm going after that little number right there," he said, pointing to a bleached-blonde girl talking to Hugh Hefner. _

"_Who's that?" I asked him._

"_Holly Madison."_

"_Everyone, she's coming!" a short brunette said, running in the mansion._

_A moment later, Rosalie walked in the door with Kendra and Bridgette._

"_Happy Birthday, Rosalie!" we all shouted. Rosalie went up to Hugh and gave him a quick peck on the lips, then went upstairs. _

_I didn't understand how these girls were able to date that man. I mean, he was an old man with minimal energy. I couldn't imagine that the sex was too good. Maybe they had a thing for grandfathers. I shook my head in disgust._

_Rosalie walked down the stairs, now dressed for the party. She looked absolutely amazing. Her dress flowed down her body perfectly, showing off her tits very nicely. She had on a huge diamond necklace and held a mask to cover her face. Maybe I would take Emmett's advice tonight and try and get with her._

_After all, I had always bad a thing for Playmates._

_I walked over to Rosalie, where Kendra, Bridgette, and all the other Playmates were fawning over her, telling her how beautiful she looked._

"_You look amazing tonight, Ms. Hale," I purred into her ear in a seductive voice._

"_Thanks," she said, looking at me. I knew she knew who I was._

"_Did you want to go somewhere more private and talk?" I asked her, holding out my hand. Of course, I had no intention of actually talking at all. Hopefully she knew that._

_She took it, and I was prepared to lead her out to our limo, but she pulled my hand and led me upstairs into her room._

_Once we got there, she locked the door and we got right down to business. She stepped out of her gown, and I saw she was wearing white, lace lingerie underneath it._

_Fucking __nice__._

_I grabbed her corset and pulled it open, causing the buttons to break off and fall on the floor. _

_She threw her arms around my neck, kissing me full on the lips. She grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me onto her bed. On top of her, I moved me lips to her neck while she started pulling at my pants, trying to undo the buckle._

"_Oh J, that feels so good," she moaned out of pleasure._

_I stopped what I was doing at once. The only person who had ever called me by my first initial was Natalie. I couldn't continue mauling this stunning woman. I pushed myself off of the bed and re-buckled my pants._

_She looked at me, stunned and hurt._

"_Uh, I have to go," I stuttered, grabbing my coat and mask. I ran out of the room, not even stopping to see if I had hurt her feelings._

_All I knew was that I needed to get the hell away from here before I regressed back to my foster-child self._

********

"Okay, make sure you support me. I don't want to fall to my death because you aren't holding on tight enough."

"No, I got it. Don't worry," Carl said, looking at me.

I nodded and tightened my harness. I hooked the rope onto the loop on the front of the harness. I grabbed the rope and backed up to the cliff's edge.

"Okay, lower me down," I ordered Carl. I held onto the rope as Carl loosened it. I walked down the edge of the cliff until my feet touched onto the ledge. "Toss the bag down," I called up to him.

Carl threw his bag down to me. Inside, there was another harness and a first aid kit. I pulled out the first aid kit and grabbed some gauze.

I pressed the gauze to her forehead, and it soaked right through.

"Damnit!" I shouted, throwing the gaze over my shoulder. I took off my shirt and wrapped it around her head. I then pulled the harness out of the bag and put it on her.

"Send down the other rope!" I called up to Carl. He lowered down the other rope. I hooked it onto Alice's harness, tugged on the rope twice, and Carl began pulling us up.

We got back to the top of the cliff, and I unhooked Alice from the harness.

"Ali…Ali…wake up, baby. Please wake up," I said, stroking her cheek.

"Is she breathing?" Carl asked, coming to stand next to me. I lowered my ear to her mouth, and felt her exhale some air.

"She's still alive," I gasped, relief flooding into my voice.

"Grab her and we'll head back to camp," Carl said, grabbing his bag. I picked Alice up and held her in my arms carefully.

The two of us headed down the mountain. When we got to the bottom, I took my shirt off of Alice's head. She looked really gruesome. Her face was covered in dried blood, especially her forehead. Her arms were covered in cuts from the rocks.

Cradling her in my arms, I walked back into camp. I heard someone gasp, then, "Alice! Oh my gosh, Alice!"

Bella ran over to me, tears in her eyes. "Oh my gosh, what happened to her?" Bella sobbed.

"We were up on the mountain, and Alice saw something on the ledge below. She was pointing it out to Carl, when she slipped and fell over the edge. Luckily, she landed on the ledge instead of falling onto the rocks in the sea. Carl had some mountain supplies with him, so I propelled down and got her. She hasn't woken up," I said, my voice breaking as I got to the end of the story. "Edward," I said, my voice shaking. "Can you take a look at her?"

I gently laid Alice on the ground as Edward came over to us.

Edward started examining her. First, he felt her head. Then, he opened her eyes and peered into them. He pressed on her abdomen, and felt her arms and legs.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"She seems fine right now, but I can't be sure until she wakes up. She might have a concussion, but I can't tell until she tells me what hurts. We'll just have to wait until she comes around."

"So what's been going on here?" I asked, trying to take my mind off Alice and the fact that she was still unconscious.

Newton and Leah looked at each other. "I'm pregnant," she whispered.

"Congrats you guys!" They looked at each other again. Neither of them looked happy. "Well, aren't you guys excited?"

"Do you remember what Eleazar said about pregnant women?" Leah asked quietly.

"No…"

"They die," she said bluntly.

"What?" I asked, horrified.

"After four months, they slip into a coma and never wake up." She looked at the ground. Mike reached over and grabbed her hand. She rested her head on his shoulders and began to cry.

"We got a signal on the satellite phone," Bella said.

"So are we getting off this god-forsaken island now or what?"

"Not yet," Bella answered. "We can't leave until we stop Aro."

"Are you serious?" I asked, stunned.

"I'm sorry," Eva said. "It's not my call. Tony said we can't leave until we take down Aro, so you guys are stuck here until that happens."

"But what about Cynthia?" I asked. "She's really hurt. Edward said she's contracting an infection," I said, worrying about her for Alice.

"They're sending someone with the zodiac to take her to the doctor on the ship. We decided to send Seth with her."

"Well, why can't we all go with them?"

"Because that's what Tony said. I'm really sorry. Honestly," Eva said, looking me in the eye.

I nodded, understanding that she wanted to get the hell off this island as much as the rest of us.

"Jas…?" a voice croaked. I looked behind me and saw Alice's eyes fluttering.

"Alice!" I yelled, rushing to her side.

"Jas," she said, her head lolling to one side.

"Baby, it's me. I'm here, don't worry," I said, rubbing her shoulder.

Edward walked over to us. "Alice, it's Edward. Can you her me?"

"Mmm," she groaned.

"Alice, where do you feel pain? Does your abdomen hurt? Your head?"

"My head," she said groggily, "and my arm," she said, raising her arm off of the ground. I looked at it and saw a huge gash there.

"Hand me the first aid kit," Edward ordered Carl. Carl pulled the kit out of his bag and handed it to Edward. He pulled out some gauze and laid it over the cut on her arm. He then pulled out some tape and secured the gauze on her arm.

Then, he put his arm behind her back and helped her sit up. "Do you feel dizzy at all?" he asked.

"No, my head just hurts," she answered, sounding more lucid than she did when she first woke up.

"I don't think you have a concussion. You have a cut on your head, but it doesn't look too serious. It stopped bleeding, but I want to clean it and bandage to prevent it from getting infected."

Alice nodded her head slowly. She winced in pain when she did that.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" I asked her concerned.

"I'm fine, Jas, just a little sore," she said, smiling weakly.

"You're really lucky," Edward said. "Any time someone has a fall, there's usually some internal injuries or a concussion or something serious. All of your injuries are superficial. You should play the lottery with luck like yours."

Alice started laughing, then took my hand in hers.

"Alice, what's that on your hand?" Bella asked.

"Where?"

"That green thing on your finger?"

"Oh, that," she said, blushing slightly. "Well, up on the cliff, before I decided to live dangerously, Jasper asked me to marry him."

"Really?" Bella shrieked.

"Mhmm."

"Oh my gosh! That's so exciting. But that doesn't explain why you have a piece of grass wrapped around your finger," Bella said, confused.

"Well, seeing as we're on an island, far away from any Tiffany's, he couldn't exactly give me a diamond. So this is serving as my engagement ring until we go home." Alice smiled at me, and I leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

We heard a buzzing noise suddenly. I looked out into the ocean, and saw a man approaching the beach in a small boat.

"That must be Leo with the zodiac," Eva said.

"Wait, what?" Alice asked, looking from Leo to Eva to me.

"They were able to make contact with the boat," I explained. "The guy in charge is letting Cynthia and Seth go to the boat. Cynthia because she is hurt and Seth to go with her."

"Really?" Alice gasped. "But why can't all of us go?"

"We have to stay here to help catch Aro Volturi."

"Oh."

"I know, but at least Cynthia will be out of the way."

"Yeah, that's a good thing."

"Eva!" Leo called out, pulling the zodiac onto the beach.

Eva ran to Leo, and the two started talking. There was a lot of pointing in our direction, and eventually the two of them walked over to join the group.

"Where is she?" Leo asked.

"In that hut," Eva said, pointing to the hut where Cynthia had been for the past few days.

Leo walked over to the hut and entered. A minute later, he walked out with Cynthia in his arms and Seth following behind him.

"Wait," Alice called to him. "Let me say goodbye."

Leo brought Cynthia over to Alice. She looked down at her baby sister, whispered something in her ear, then gave her a quick kiss on her forehead.

We all followed him over to the zodiac, me supporting Alice as she walked. Leo gently laid Cynthia in the zodiac, then put a light blanket over her. He had brought a pillow for her to rest her head on.

"Keep the sat phone on," Leo told Eva. "Tony wants to be able to reach you for anything, and he also wants periodic updates on the status of the mission."

"Okay, but the reception here is spotty. I don't always get reception everywhere, but I'll do the best I can."

"Great. Hey kid, help me push this thing back into the water," Leo ordered Seth. Seth and Leo pushed the zodiac carefully back to the water, trying not to cause any discomfort to Cynthia. Once it was back in the water, they both hopped in.

Leo turned on the engine, and the zodiac came to life.

Everyone left on the beach began waving to them as the sped away towards the boat.

As we watched them head out into open water, we all wondered when we would be joining them. Or if we ever would.


	19. Chapter 18: It's the End of the World

Chapter 18: It's the End of the World…

EmPOV

"_Can I see it again, Emmett?" Edward asked for the hundredth time. Sighing, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the card for him to see. _

_He gasped. "It's so cool. I can't believe you got to meet him AND he signed his card!"_

"_Jeez, Edward, get a grip. It's only a baseball card."_

"_Only a baseball card? __Only__ a baseball card? It's Bengie Molina! He's my favorite player, and you got to meet him!" Edward whined, lusting over the signed baseball card._

"_Okay, I'm taking this back before you start drooling over it," I said, yanking it out of his hand. "I'm gonna hit the sack, little bro. See ya in the morning." I ruffled his bronze hair and bumped his fist._

_I walked into my room, put my new signed card on my shelf, and flopped on my bed. Ever since I had hit that person, my life had sucked. I didn't have a car anymore, so I had to be driven to school now. I wasn't allowed out at all, so I hadn't been properly hammered in awhile. Dad had said he was going to send me to some camp or whatever, but so far, I was still at home._

_I rolled over on my side and drifted to sleep, thinking about all the alcohol that I was going to drink when I finally was free._

_A few hours later, I was violently awakened from my sleep. I had been having a great dream, involving a hot tub, three Playmates, and me. I opened my eyes as someone dragged me out of bed and forced me to my feet. _

_I looked around and saw three guys in camouflage standing in my room. Two of them were holding me as the third was shouting instructions at him._

"_Let's go!" the one shouted at me._

"_Let…go…of…me!" I said, struggling. The men ignored me and forced me out of my room and into the hall._

_I was kicking and screaming, trying to get them off me, but it did no good. Then, Edward's door opened and he was standing in the door, looking shocked._

"_Where are you taking my brother?" he screamed._

"_Go back into your room, son. You don't need to worry about this," the one man said as I continued to struggle with the men carrying me down the stairs._

_We got to the bottom of the stairs and I saw my mom and dad standing there, looking grim._

"_Mom! Dad! Help me!" I shouted at them._

_Carlisle just looked at me, not showing any emotion. Esme began sobbing quietly into Carlisle's shoulder._

"_Carlisle!" I shouted at him. "Don't just stand there, help me!"_

"_I'm sorry, Emmett, it's for your own good," he said somberly._

"_Mom, don't let him do this!" I yelled towards Esme. She just sobbed louder. Carlisle gripped her around the shoulders to comfort her._

"_Let's go!" the one man said, yanking me by the shoulder towards the door._

"_Mom, don't let them take me!" I yelled at her. "Please!"_

_She slowly shook her head and buried her face in Carlisle's chest as I was dragged out the door._

********

"Are you sure they're okay?" Rosalie asked me for the tenth time.

"Yes, Rose. How many times do we need to go over this? Seth called us on the sat phone once they got on the ship and said they were fine. Cynthia's in the doctor's quarters and Seth is watching over her.

"But we haven't heard from them _since_ then. Don't you think they would call daily?"

"No. Seth knows we only have limited battery on the sat phone and that we need to conserve it. Rose, they're fine. These people are here to rescue us. Why would they hurt two 15-year-old kids?"

"I'm just being silly," Rosalie laughed, shaking her head.

The two of us were standing by the edge of the ocean, talking.

"Do you think we're going to be leaving soon? These people have been here for almost two weeks, and we still haven't done anything. I'm beginning to think they have no intention of taking us off this island."

"Rose, we have to have faith in these people. If we don't trust them to get us off this island, who can we trust?"

She looked into my eyes. I pulled her close to me and held her against my chest.

Bella and Edward walked over to us.

"So, me and Edward were just talking. Do _you_ guys have any idea when these people are going to actually rescue us?"

We both shook our heads. "I thought so," she said. "I think we need to confront these people and tell them they need to get a move on this mission. I mean, they've been here 12 days and have nothing to show for it except s map of the island and injuring Alice."

Bella grabbed Edward's hand and the two of them marched over to where Eva, Steven, Carl, Savannah, and the rest of their group were sitting.

"She's a vivacious one," I said to Rose. "I hope Edward knows how to handle her."

Rosalie let out a laugh. "I'm sure he's doing just fine." She took my hand in hers, and the two of us walked over to join Edward and Bella.

"…but you said you were here to rescue us!" Edward was shouting. "When you came here, you said you were here to rescue us. Well, it's been twelve days and we're still here!"

"Look, we _are_ going to rescue you, but this mission is taking longer than expected. We didn't realize how guarded Aro would be. If we can't get to him, we can't leave this island, understand?"

"Just march into his fucking camp and shoot him!" Bella shrieked, exasperated. "I mean, you guys killed off a lot of his guards. It shouldn't be too hard."

"He's replaced them," Carl said. "He brought in new people after we killed his other guards. He's just as protected now as he was then."

"God, we're _never_ going to get off this island! He's going to kill us before we get a chance, then he's going to kill everyone in the world!" Bella said, panicking.

Edward reached over and grabbed her hand. He put an arm around her shoulder and started rubbing her back.

"I just want to go home," Rosalie whined. "I miss all my friends, and I'm sure they're all so worried about me. I mean, the disappearance of the plane had to be on the news, right?" she asked Eva and the others.

"Well…" Carl said, glancing at Eva.

"Well what?" I snapped. "Just tell us whatever it is you're asking permission to say."

"About a week after your plane disappeared, the found the remains to it, along with about 100 bodies. All the passengers were pronounced dead."

"So you mean my dad thinks I'm dead?" Bella cried.

"Afraid so."

"We have to go home now! I can't let my dad think I'm dead when I've been on this island for the past 80 days!"

"I promise you'll be able to go home. But we have to capture Aro and retrieve the plans for the gas before you can. If you guys have any ideas on how to capture him, now would be the time to let them be known."

"Didn't you guys come here with a plan?" Edward asked, bewildered.

"Yes, but it won't work now. We didn't realize how guarded the camp was. We didn't know they had cameras everywhere. It's impossible to get in without being detected."

"We have to think of a plan before we do anything. We'll let you guys know when we decide to make a move," Steven said, turning to face the other members of his group.

Rosalie, Edward, Bella, and I got up and walked away, leaving the freighter people to plan.

"This is exactly what I feared," Bella said, once we were out of earshot.

"What are you talking about?" Rosalie asked.

"They have no intention of rescuing us. Why do you think they never call to the boat? Or the fact that it took them so long to call for the boat to come and get Cynthia?"

"And what about the fact that we haven't heard from them in 12 days?" Rosalie asked. "Something fishy is going on, I'm sure of it."

"Well, the only way we're going to figure it out is if we capture Aro. And with the way things are going, I'd say the possibility of that happening is slim to none."

"Wonderful," I groaned. "We're never going to get off this fucking island."

"You know what, I have an idea of how we can get Aro," Bella said, smiling mischievously.

"You do?" Edward asked.

"Uh-huh. Let me talk to Rose first," she said, grabbing Rosalie's hand and pulling her away from the two of us.

"What do you think her idea is?" Edward asked.

"I don't know, but if she's involving Rosie, it can't be anything good."

I looked over and saw the two of them talking animatedly. A minute later, I saw Rose nod her head, then the two of them came back and joined us.

"Are you two ready to tell us what Bella's grand idea is?" Edward asked, annoyed.

"First, you have to promise you won't get mad at us," Bella said, glaring at Edward.

"Why would I get mad?"

"Just fucking promise me, Edward," Bella snapped.

"Fine, I promise," Edward agreed reluctantly.

"Well, we're waiting," I said when they didn't say anything.

"You have to promise too, Em," Rose said.

"I'm not promising anything."

"Emmett, just promise me you won't go all caveman on my ass when we tell you and drag me to your cabin by your hair," Rosalie sighed.

"Fine."

"Okay, you tell them, Bella. After all, it was your idea."

"Great, Rose. Now, when they freak out about it, they'll be mad at me," Bella said, glaring at Rose.

"Just tell us what your plan is," Edward sighed.

Bella took a deep breath. "We're going to surrender ourselves to the natives."

********

"_Off the bus! March!" the drill sergeant ordered us when we arrived at Victory Forge Military Academy. I learned my parents had sent me here for a year from Andy, a kid on the bus. Apparently, it was a boot camp for troubled boys._

_Great._

_All of the new "recruits" marched into the academy. There, any personal belongings we had were taken from us. Since they took me from my room in the middle of the night, I had nothing._

_Next, we were taken into the barbershop and our heads were shaved. I watched in sadness as my black curls fell to the floor in clumps._

_Then, we were given our uniforms and room assignments. We were going to be living in barracks with seven other boys. _

_The rest of the day, we were informed of all the rules of the academy. We had to address our drill sergeants as sir, no exceptions. We wouldn't be allowed luxury items like televisions, cell phones, or iPods. During our stay here, we would learn the seven core values and leave Victory Forge as better young men instead of continuing down the path to jail._

"_Lights out, boys," the drill sergeant ordered that night, flipping off the switch in our barracks. I quickly fell asleep and dreamed about being back home with my family._

"_Everyone up!" a loud voice yelled. My eyes sprang open as I looked around. It was still dark outside. The drill sergeant was standing in our doorway, already dressed, and looking stern. "In front of your beds, now!"_

_Everyone quickly scrambled out of bed and stood up straight. The drill sergeant walked down the aisle between the two sides of the barracks. He nodded as he passed me, then turned and said, "Everyone get dressed! I want you outside by 0600 or it will be an extra hour of pushups!"_

"_But sir," one cadet remarked, "it's raining. Shouldn't we do something inside instead?"_

"_Afraid to get wet?" the drill sergeant sneered. "Thanks to Cadet Warner's sass, you'll all have an extra hour of training today."_

_All of us collectively groaned. Great. Extra work out time in the rain. Exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday._

"_Now, move!" the drill sergeant yelled as he left our barracks. Everyone quickly dressed and rushed outside. Once we were out there, we did pushups and sit-ups in the mud, did sprints and long runs, and ran the schools obstacle course. By the end of our training, we were all wiped out._

"_Now, march back to your barracks and get cleaned up for dinner," the drill sergeant ordered._

"_Yes, sir!" we all said in unison, then marched back to our bunks._

_I flopped on my bed when I entered the barracks; I was just so exhausted. A full day of being drilled and forced do extreme workouts was no easy feat. _

_I reached under my bed, pulled out my notepad and a pen, and began writing a letter to Amy, my girlfriend. Since we weren't allowed to use the phone to call people, it was my only way to communicate with her._

_I told her how much I missed her and how miserable I was without her. I told her how much I loved her and a year away from her would never keep us from being together. I even asked her to come visit next time we were slowed visitors._

_Then, I folded up the letter and put it in the envelope, addressed it to Amy Defeo in La Cañada Flintridge, California._

"_Letter for Amy?" Andy asked. I nodded as I walked to the mailbox and put the letter inside. Then, I walked back to my bunk and changed for dinner._

"_Thompson!" the mail carrier called out, bringing in the mail Monday afternoon. I hoped I had a letter—I had written to Amy almost three weeks ago and I still hadn't heard from her._

"_Cullen!" he called out._

"_Right here, sir." He handed me a single envelope. I looked at the return address. It was from La Cañada Flintridge, California from the Defeo's. It was Amy._

_I tore open the letter, expecting to read Amy's love and devotion to me. Instead, I read this:_

_Emmett,  
I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it as it is. You know I love and care about you, but I can't do this anymore. I can't be the girlfriend to the guy at some troubled teen camp. Do you know what people would say? Anyways, you and I both know this isn't going to work—the camp, I mean. When you get out, you're just going to go back to your old ways, and I can't be with a failure. Don't write me anymore.  
Amy_

_I looked at the letter, shocked. I couldn't believe I had just been dumped in a letter. I crumpled the letter and threw it in the trash bin. _

_I vowed right then and there that I would graduate from Victory Forge Military Academy and show Amy and everyone else who doubted me that Emmett Cullen could do anything he put his mind to._

********

"No."

"But, Em—"

"No."

"Edward, you're being completely ridic—"

"No."

"You can't order us—"

"No."

Bella and Rosalie were trying to persuade us to let them go through with their idea to infiltrate the native's camp by turning themselves in, but Edward and I knew better. If they went there, they would never return.

Edward and I were prepared to keep arguing with them for hours, when we heard a shout come from the beach.

"Somebody…help!"

We all looked at each other, then raced back to the beach. We stopped short when we saw what the cry for help was about.

Leah was on all fours on the sand, vomiting up blood. Her shirt was covered in blood, as was Mike Newton's.

He looked at us with terror-stricken eyes, unsure of what to say or do.

"It's happening," was all he said.

At that moment, Leah stopped heaving, shuddered, then fell to the ground.

"Leah!" Mike yelled, kneeling on the ground beside her and pulling her into his arms. She let out a cough and opened her eyes.

"Oh, Mike!" she cried, throwing her bloody arms around his neck. He just kept his arms around her waist as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Her body's started attacking itself," Edward muttered to me.

"What's going on?" Eva asked, running toward us.

"Leah," was all Bella said. Eva looked over at Mike and Leah, and gasped when she saw they were covered in blood.

"She's dying," Eva whispered.

"She's going to die unless she gets off this island soon," I said, looking at the pool of blood on the sand.

"I know," Eva said, looking horrified, "but there's nothing I can do to help unless we catch Aro. I want to help her, truly I do, but unless we get Aro, she's going to die."

Mike looked like he was about to murder someone, but then Leah let out a cry of pain.

"It hurts so much!" she screamed, clutching her stomach. She pushed Mike off of her, rolled onto her hands and knees, and began throwing up again. She stopped a minute later and passed out. Mike picked her up and carried her into her hut.

"See?" Bella said, looking from me to Edward angrily. "This is why we need to do this! If we don't, Leah is going to die."

"It's too dangerous, Bella," Edward said sadly.

"Would you rather listen to Leah die slowly and painfully or take a risk and save us all?"

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Eva asked.

"Rose and I think we have a way to capture Aro and end this once and for all."

"Really? That's great!" she exclaimed. "How?"

"By surrendering ourselves to the natives."

"I don't understand…" Eva said, confused.

"It's simple," Rosalie said. "Bella and I walk into the native camp, hands held high. We tell them we want to be with them, that we don't trust you people. Hopefully, Aro believes us and takes us in. Then, we start searching for this file thing you guys are looking for. Then, once we find it, we radio you guys to come and raid the camp. We cut all security systems, you guys capture Aro, and we can finally leave this fucking place."

"That's crazy!" Edward exclaimed.

"That's insane!" I cried.

"That might actually work," Eva said quietly.

"_What_?" Bella, Edward, Rosalie, and I all shouted, shocked at her response. None of us had expected her to agree with the girls.

"Think about it: Aro wanted the four girls for something. He wanted to capture, not kill. I think he needs them for something, so he'll willingly accept them into his camp. They're his one weakness. Once they're there, they'll have the opportunity to search the camp. It's perfect!" She was smiling.

"I don't know," Edward said. "How will they be able to radio us when they're ready?"

"That's easy," Eva said. She walked over to her shack with the four of us following. She went in and came out a moment later holding some kind of metallic case. "This," she said, "will enable Bella and Rosalie to stay in touch with us at all times."

"Okay, but won't they notice them carrying in a big, silver briefcase?" I asked, stating the obvious.

"They won't be carrying the briefcase, you dummy. They'll be wearing what's inside of it." She unlatched the case. Inside, there were many flesh-colored dots. I had no idea what they were.

Eva pulled one out and held it up in front of us.

"Do you guys know what this is?" she asked us. We all shook our heads no. "This is a walkie-talkie. This gets placed in the ear. It is so small that it is close to impossible to see. Inside the mouth, one of these," she said, pulling out something that looked like a tooth crown, "is placed on top of one of your back teeth. This is the microphone. This is how Bella and Rosalie will always be able to communicate with us and each other in case they get separated."

"Eva, that's brilliant!" Rosalie said, hugging her. Everyone looked at the two of them, shocked. It was no secret that Rosalie and Eva hated each other. It looked like they had finally put aside their differences in the interest of saving Leah.

"Okay, so everyone take one of these," Eva said, passing each of us an earpiece and a molar microphone. We all put them in.

"Great, now Rosalie and Bella, you guys should get ready to leave. We need to finish this thing as soon as we can to save Leah." They nodded and headed into their huts to prepare.

"We should go get ready to leave, too," I said to Edward.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Eva asked us.

"We're going to wait by the camp for them, make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Like hell you are!"

"Excuse me?" Edward asked, taken aback.

"Listen, if any of the natives see you, the gig is up. They will _kill_ Bella and Rosalie without a second thought. In order for their story to be plausible, they have to go completely alone. They'll know something is up if they see you two clowns."

"But—"

"No buts. This is the way it has to be done."

Rosalie and Bella joined us a minute later with Jasper and Alice.

"Be careful," Alice was telling them. "We really can't afford any more injuries." She and Jasper gave each of them a hug.

Rosalie came over to me while Bella went to Edward.

"This feels like de-ja-vu," Rosalie remarked to me.

"How so?"

"Well, it was only a few weeks ago that I left you here to go trekking into the jungle. Only last time, I was leaving you to face the natives, while this time I'm going to find them. The world works in mysterious ways, huh?"

I wrapped my arms around her waist and buried my face in her hair. "Promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise. I want this to be over as soon as possible so I can go home and back to my life. Only this time, my life will be different. Because I'll have you." She looked straight into my eyes.

I looked back at her, then drew her face into mine for a kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her body against mine.

I heard a cough next to me but I ignored it.

"Would you mind saving that type of affection for your private bedroom and not the public beach for all to see?" I heard Jasper say. Not wanting to break the kiss, I took one hand off of Rose's waist and flipped him off. I heard him chuckle.

A moment later, Rosalie pulled away.

"Everything's going to be okay," she whispered in my ear. I grabbed her hand as I stroked the top of her palm with my thumb.

"Let's go, Rose," Bella said, looking uncertainly at the jungle. Rosalie gave me one last kiss before grabbing Bella's hand.

We watched the two of them walk into the jungle, completely alone.

As I watched them disappear, I prayed to God that we made the right decision.

I would never live with myself if I allowed Rosalie to sacrifice herself for us all. I looked over at Edward. Our fate was in the hands of our girlfriends. God help us all.


	20. Chapter 19: As We Know It

Chapter 19: …As We Know It

**AN: This is going to similar to the chapter where everyone was trying to save Bella. The chapter does not focus on anyone, so there will be no flashbacks.**

BPOV

"I miss you already," I heard Edward say into my ear.

"Cut the mushy gooey nonsense. I think I'm going to be sick," I heard Emmett say.

"Guys, shut up!" Eva yelled. These microphone/walkie-talkie things were really cool. Rose and I were able to talk to Edward, Emmett, and everyone else back at camp at the same time.

We were just going to have to be careful when we got to the native's camp that they didn't see us talking to nobody.

"Where are you guys?" Alice asked.

"Somewhere in the middle of the jungle," Rose said, looking around. "Alice, how do you expect me to know exactly where I am? I don't know shit about this island."

"Wait," I said, grabbing Rose's arm. "Look. Up there." I pointed ahead of us where there was a clearing in the trees. We saw a bunch of people walking around. We also saw about two dozen houses.

"I think we're here," Rose whispered. I nodded.

"Now, remember, you need to be careful. These people already hate us," Edward warned us.

"We got it, baby. Don't worry, we know what to do."

I grabbed Rose's hand and the two of us walked to the native's camp, hands over our heads.

As soon as we walked in, guns were pointed at us. Ignoring them, I spoke up.

"We need to speak with Aro," I said. One of the natives looked at me, suspicious.

"And what could you possible want with our leader?" he sneered.

"We've come to surrender ourselves to him," I said, looking his straight in the eyes.

Reluctantly, he turned to the nearest native. "Alicia!" he shouted at a small, black-haired girl who reminded me of Alice. "Go fetch Aro. Tell him it's urgent." She nodded and ran in one of the buildings. While she was gone, the natives never took their eyes or their guns off us.

A moment later, Alicia emerged with an elderly man whom I assumed was Aro. He was not what I expected. Whenever anyone spoke of him, they made him seem like this all-powerful, all-knowing being that made mortal men tremble in their boots. This man looked like he was about 85 and could barely hold himself up.

"This better be good, Walt," he grumbled. "I was putting the finishing touches on the plan." Walt gestured toward Rose and I standing in the middle of the camp0 with about 40 armed natives glaring at us.

"They request a word with you," Walt said, bowing his head slightly.

"Bella and Rosalie!" he exclaimed. "What a surprise. What brings you two ladies here? I would have thought after the last encounter with my people, you would be avoiding us like the plague."

"We come with a request for you, Aro," I said, looking him in the eyes.

"What could you possible want from me? Last time I checked, you and your people murdered 24 of my guard."

"I know," Rosalie said, looking at the ground. "You have to believe us when we say we had no idea about that. We did as Edward and Emmett told us. You have to realize that they are the ones in charge, not us. No one cares what a stupid girl has to say."

Aro nodded slightly, still staring at us.

"After we found out what they had done, we couldn't look at them anymore," I said. "We've been planning on leaving camp for awhile now, but we didn't know where to go. We were terrified that if they found us, they would kill us." Rosalie nodded in agreement.

"We figured if we came here, it couldn't be any worse than back at our camp," Rosalie said, tears in her eyes. I had to give her credit: she was a great actress.

"We were hoping we could join your camp, that _you_ might protect us from our bloodthirsty exes," I said, my voice shaking. This was the moment of truth. Either Aro was going to kill us, or allow us to stay.

He looked from Rosalie to me, then back to Rosalie.

"Of course you may stay, my dears. Alicia!" he called. "Please escort Bella and Rosalie to Felix's old home. Bring them a change of clothes and some food." He turned back to face us. "We welcome you here as one of our own." He reached forward and gave Rosalie and I each a welcoming hug. Rosalie and I looked at each other, then followed Alicia to Felix's old house.

********

EPOV

"It worked?" I asked. "It actually worked? I can't believe it!" I was jumping up and down, hugging Emmett, Jasper, and everyone else in camp.

"This is amazing!" Eva cried, hugging Carl. Savannah and Steven were jumping up and down too. "Hopefully, they'll be able to find the file soon. Then, we can move in, seize Aro, and get off the island."

I looked over and saw Alice with her arms around Jasper, the two of them locked in a deep embrace. Leah was sitting on Newton's lap with his arms wrapped around her. She was looking better, but I knew the next stage of deterioration was approaching.

I looked at Emmett. "I'm worried too," was all he said. It was all he needed to say. Watching everyone get excited for Bella and Rosalie infiltrating the native's camp only made me more worried for Bella's life. Now that they were living with them, what would happen if they found out about their plan?

"Don't worry, Edward," Eva called over to me. "Everything's going to be fine. Bella knows what she is doing."

"Yeah, baby, don't you have any faith in me?" I heard Bella say in my ear.

"Bella? Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Rosalie answered. "The girl Alicia dropped us off in this house. She gave us shampoo, clothes, and food. Em, I'm going be able to use and _actual_ shower!"

"Way to rub it in," Alice grumbled. I head Rosalie let out a small laugh.

"Is everything going okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. We're planning on searching some of the buildings later. Alicia said we were allowed to walk around the camp if we wanted. The only rule is that we're not allowed to leave the camp limits. Something abo9ut our safety." I could picture her shaking her head like she always did. I smiled.

"Remember, be careful. You can't let anyone know what you're doing. If they find out, they'll kill you."

"Geez, Edward, you're such a downer," Rosalie joked.

"I'm serious."

"I know. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Bella _and_ myself. We'll be out of here before you have time to miss us."

I groaned and shook my head.

"Don't worry, Edward," Bella said. "Everything's going to be okay. No one suspects anything. Aro loves us and wants to do everything he can to protect us. Just relax."

"Okay, I trust you. Just make sure you get out if they start suspecting anything," I said to Bella.

"I will. I promise. I love you, Edward."

"I love you too." I heard Emmett gagging behind me. I turned around and punched him in the shoulder.

"Bad move, little bro," Emmett said, cracking his knuckles. He reared his arm back and I felt his fist connect with my upper arm.

"Ow."

"Serves you right. Never try and pick a fight with an NFL player." He flashed me the same grin he used to get girls.

I just shook my head and turned back to the rest of the group. "Well, I guess we're just going to have to wait until we get word from the girls. There's nothing else we can do."

"Edward, can't you do anything for Leah? Don't you have some kind of medication she can take so she's not in pain?" Newton asked.

I shook my head no. "Mike, I've never seen anything like this. If I give her anything, it could make things worse. It's best if I just leave everything alone so I don't mess things up and accidentally kill her."

Leah let out a cry of pain, and started throwing up blood again. I hoped Bella and Rosalie would hurry up. I couldn't bear to watch Leah suffer like this anymore.

********

RPOV

"You know, this is a pretty nice dress Aro left for me," I remarked to Bella as I came out of the bathroom after my first real shower in months.

"It looks nice on you, but so does everything. Face it, Rose, even if Aro had given you a paper bag to wear, you would still look like the hot Playboy model you are."

I smiled at her and spun around once. "So, what do you say to snooping around the camp for a little bit before dinner?"

"I'm down with that," Bella said, grinning at me. The two of us left our house and began walking around the native's camp. Every time we passed someone, they would give us an evil stare.

"I don't think they like us very much," Bella said with mock outrage.

I laughed and linked my arm in hers. "Maybe it has to do with the fact that our ex-boyfriends killed a bunch of them." Bella and I decided that in order for our story to be believable, we would always, no matter what, refer to Emmett and Edward as our exes. That way, if someone happened to hear us talking, they would believe what we told Aro.

"Ooh, let's go in this building," Bella said, pointing to a tall grey building.

"Why this one?"

"It's so pretty!"

"Okay, fine," I said begrudgingly, following Bella into the strange place.

When we entered the building, it was completely empty. "I wonder why it's deserted in here," I pondered aloud.

"I have no clue, but let's look around," Bella said. We began looking in each of the doors down the hall. In one, there was a bunch of weapons. In another, there were pictures tacked on every inch of wall space.

"Hey, what about this one?" Bella called out. I walked over. On the door, there was a sign. It said, "**KEEP OUT! TOP SECRET!**"

"Might as well," I said, pushing open the door.

"Edward, you there?" Bella asked.

"Right here," I heard Edward reply.

"What's going on?" I heard Emmett ask.

"We just entered a room with a big 'keep out' sign on it. We think this might have something in it," I said, answering Emmett's question.

"Whoa, look," Bella said, pointing to something in the room. I looked around and saw there were file cabinets everywhere.

"Quick, start searching," I hissed at her. I didn't know if the natives had security systems on a room like this, and I didn't want them finding us here, snooping around in files. It would raise a lot of questions.

I went to the nearest cabinet and opened it. I began rifling through the files, but they were all nonsense. All the drawers contained files about people I had never heard of before. The next one I opened, I saw a familiar name: Edward Cullen. Curious, I opened the file and began to read, then stopped.

I read the sentence again. "Edward Cullen, spouse: Tanya Cullen (nee Denali)." I was shocked. Edward, the same Edward who helped save us all, who was in love with Bella, was married.

How was this possible?

"Did you find something?" Bella asked, seeing me hesitate with a file in my hands.

"No, it's nothing," I said, shoving the file back in the drawer. I didn't want to tell Bella this while we had something we needed to do. Anyways, I thought I better get the story from Edward before I told Bella.

"Hey, Rose," Bella called over to me.

"Did you find it?" I asked excitedly.

"No, I didn't."

"Then what did you find?"

"It's a file, but it has your name on it," she said, looking a little confused.

I ran over to her and yanked the file out of her hands. I started reading the things inside. There was my marriage to Royce, his death, and then a little note at the bottom. "Death of husband suspicious. Murder?"

I gasped as I read that. How could these people possible now about that?

"Rose? Are you okay?"

"F-f-fine," I said, my voice shaking.

"Baby, what is it?" Emmett asked, hearing my voice shaking.

"These fucking people!" I shouted. "They just…ugh!" I threw the file on the ground and walked back to the cabinet I was searching and dug through the files. Bella didn't say anything to me, and I kept quiet.

"It's not here," she said half an hour later.

"I know. I thought it might be here." The two of us started walking out of the room. "Wait," I said, grabbing her arm. "What's in that desk?"

Be both stared at the big wooden desk in the room.

"Do you think—?"

"Maybe…"

We both ran to the desk and opened the drawers.

"Hey, what's this?" Bella asked, pulling out a file. It said, "Plan G."

"Well, we'll never know unless we open it." The two of us opened the file. Inside, there were pictures, diagrams, different equations, and a paper. I picked up the paper and began reading while Bella looked through the pictures and diagrams.

"Hey," she said. "Didn't Eva say her boss was named Jim Howard?"

"So?" I asked.

"This picture is labeled 'Jim Howard'. Coincidence? I think not! And look, this diagram is for some building called, 'The Selenium'—"

"Did you say, 'Selenium?'" a voice asked.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" Bella asked.

"Bella, this is Dr. Savannah Jowson. I need you to tell me about this diagram for 'The Selenium.'"

"It's some building. There's some kind of structure inside of it, but I don't know what it does."

"It's the building where he's holding the gas," she said.

"What? How do you know that?" I asked.

"I'm a paleobotanist, which means I study the plants that existed during the dinosaur era. Now, plants are living things, just like you and I, so they have defense mechanisms to protect themselves. Selenium was something some plants absorbed from the soil. It made them poisonous."

"Are you sure that's the building we're looking for?"

"Positive. I've done extensive research on Selenium and its poisonous properties. My guess is Aro wanted a name for the building that was indicative of what it was for without it being obvious."

"Bella, this is the file! This is what we've been looking for! Guys, we found the—"

********

EmPOV

"Rose? Rose? ROSE?" I screamed, trying to get her to answer. She had just been telling us about the file, when she stopped talking in the middle of a sentence.

"Bella?" Edward asked. No answer.

"What's going on?" Alice screeched. No one knew what was happening. We were celebrating because we found the file, but then everything went wrong.

"Something's happened," I said to Edward. "There's no other explanation. Why else would Rose suddenly break off in the middle of a sentence?"

"I don't know," Edward said, worried. He was thinking of Bella while I thought of Rosie. How could we let them do something so dangerous?

"Well, no use sitting here talking about it," Alice piped up. We looked at her like she was crazy. "Your girls got captured. There's no other explanation. Someone found them, and now they're probably being held prisoner. We only have one option."

"What?" I asked.

"We have to go save them."

"Alice, you've been to the native's camp. It's impossible to get in undetected."

"I have a plan," she said, smiling.

"Well, would you mind sharing, Little Miss Optimist?" Edward snapped.

"It's going to involve a distraction. Which one of you is the fastest runner?"

********

BPOV

I opened my eyes and looked around. Everything seemed all fuzzy. I tried to rub my eyes, but my hands weren't working for some reason.

"Rose?" I whispered, looking around.

Next to me, Rose was sitting in a chair, passed out. She was bound to the chair with rope.

I looked down and saw rope was wrapped around my entire body, binding me to where I sat.

"Oh, good, you're awake," a kind voice said. I looked up and saw Aro sitting in a chair in front of me, his eyes filled with hate.

I just looked back at him without saying anything.

"You never left Edward, did you?"

I didn't answer him. I felt a blow to my left shoulder.

"Why were you in that room? ANSWER ME!"

I didn't say anything. I felt something hit my left cheek, hard. I spit on the ground, and saw my saliva was mixed with blood.

"You _will_ answer me," he sneered. He walked out of the room, followed by the man who hit me. I heard the door slam shut.

"Bella?" a horse voice whispered. I looked next to me and saw Rose opening her eyes.

"Oh, Rose!" I cried. "Thank goodness you're okay. I thought you might be dead."

"I'm fine," she croaked. "I think they might have broken one of my ribs," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Have you heard anything from Edward or the others?" she asked. I shook my head no.

"I think they took our earpieces when they captured us."

Rose shook her head sadly. "We're fucked."

********

APOV

"Steven, are you sure about this?" Eva whispered. Everyone, with the exception of Mike and Leah, was crouched in the jungle by the native's camp. (Leah and Mike were back at camp since Leah couldn't go anywhere and Mike wouldn't leave her by herself.)

"Eva, don't worry. I'll be fine. You need to worry about destroying that building. If you don't do that, we're all screwed."

Eva nodded at Steven.

"Everyone, shut up!" I hissed. "Do you want them to find us before we even enter the camp?"

Jasper reached over and grabbed my hand. I looked at him and smiled. I was nervous about what we were about to do, but excited at the same time.

"Does everyone remember the plan?" Edward whispered.

We all nodded. "Once it gets dark, I'm going to come out of the jungle and try and lure the guards away," Steven said. We all looked at him, worried. Carl had the most dangerous job. The guards would most likely be shooting to kill him, but Steven said he's be able to outrun them. Something about never being caught shoplifting when he was a teenager.

"Once the coast is clear, Carl, Edward, Emmett, and I go and find where Bella and Rosalie are being held," I said. Jasper looked at me uneasily. He didn't want to be separated from me, but it was necessary. They needed him in The Selenium.

"At the same time, Eva, Savannah, and I go to The Selenium and destroy it." I looked at Jasper. I was worried something was going to happen and he would be there when The Selenium exploded.

"Steven, are you ready?" Emmett asked him. Steven nodded. "Good, because I think in another 10 minutes, it's going to be time."

"You _will _answer me," a voice sneered in my ear. I looked around, but no one was there. "Who said that?" I asked. Everyone looked around confused.

"Bella?" I heard Rosalie whisper.

"Rose!" Emmett whispered. "Rose, baby, talk to me. Tell me where you are."

"Oh, Rose! Thank goodness you're okay. I thought you might be dead," I heard Bella say.

"Why aren't they talking to us?" Edward wondered.

"I'm fine. I think they might have broken one of my ribs. Have you heard anything from Edward or the others?" Rosalie asked.

"I think they took our earpieces when they captured us."

"We're fucked."

"Crap!" Edward muttered.

"What?" Jasper asked.

"They can't hear us. Someone took their earpieces out when they found them. It looks like their molar microphones work now. What cause them to malfunction in the first place?" Edward asked Eva.

She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, but most likely, someone hit them where their mic was when they captured them, which caused them to malfunction. I'm guessing they got hit again in the same area, which caused it to start working again. It's only a theory," she added.

"But they can't hear us?" I asked.

"I don't believe so."

"So they don't know we're here to rescue them?"

"No."

"C'mon, Bell, tell us where you are!" Edward hissed.

"Where are we?" Rosalie asked.

"No clue. I just remember everything going dark, then waking up here. Where do you think they brought us?" Bella asked.

"You got me. Looks like some kind of office."

"I bet they brought them to Aro's place," Carl whispered to me, Edward, and Emmett.

"Steven, get read," Edward whispered. I looked over and saw the camp was less guarded. Steven got up and walked towards the camp. I saw him duck down once to tighten his shoes.

"Hey, assholes!" he called out to the guards. I heard shouting, then saw Steven running into the forest with four or five guards chasing him. They were trying to get a clear shot at him, but he kept weaving.

Edward held a finger to his lips as he motioned for all of us to follow him.

"The Selenium should be over that way," Carl said, pointing to the left side of camp. "You'll want to find a building with large tanks attached to the back of it. Make sure you disable the gas before destroying the building," he warned them. Jasper, Eva, and Savannah nodded, then headed off to find the building.

Edward, Emmett, and I followed Carl through the camp. We would duck behind houses whenever we heard someone coming.

"In here," Carl whispered, pulling the door open to a fancy-looking building.

The four of us started walking down an ornately-decorated hallway, searching for Bella and Rosalie.

"How is everything going with you guys?" I whispered.

"Fine. We think we found it," Jasper whispered back.

"Great."

"Guys, stop," Edward said, putting a hand on both my and Emmett's shoulders. He was peering into a room. I looked inside.

In there, Bella and Rosalie were tied to two chairs. There was no one else in the room.

Edward pushed on the door, but it didn't budge. Emmett threw himself against the door, but it still didn't move.

"Move aside," Carl whispered, drawing his gun. He aimed it at the door knob and fired four times. The door flew open.

"Edward!" I heard Bella cry. Edward ran over to her and threw his arms around her. "Uh, before you kiss me, why don't you get me out of this chair."

Edward nodded and started trying to untie the ropes. They didn't budge.

"Carl, do you have a knife?" Edward asked. Carl reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a Swiss Army knife. He handed it to Edward.

Edward easily cut the ropes off of Bella, then he moved onto Rosalie. Rosalie gave him a piercing glare the entire time he was helping her.

I heard a bang, and saw Edward collapse onto the ground. In the doorway was an elderly man, holding a gun, pointing it at us.

********

JPOV

"I think this is it," Eva whispered to us, pointing to a large, industrial-looking building.

"Does it have tanks attached to it?" I asked.

"Yeah, look in the back. Aren't those storage tanks?" she asked.

I looked, and nodded. The three of us crept towards the building and pushed the door open.

Eva shined her flashlight inside.

"Is there anyone there?" I asked.

She shook her head no, and the two of us followed her inside.

Inside, the building was lit by dimming fluorescent lights on the ceiling.

"Down there," I said, pointing to an area down the stairs. I saw a bunch of computers and a hatch that looked like they led to the tanks.

"Do you guys know what to do?" I asked Savannah and Eva.

"I do," Eva said. "Mr. Howard gave me instructions on how to disabled the gas to make it non-lethal so when we blow this place up, if any gas does accidentally get released, it won't hurt anyone."

Savannah and I nodded. Eva walked over to the computer and started typing, trying to deactivate the poisonous gas. Savannah and I walked around the room, pulling dynamite sticks out of our bags and sticking them on the walls of The Selenium.

I heard a thud to my right. I looked over and saw that Savannah had fallen to the floor. Standing over her was a muscular native with a baseball bat in his hands.

Fuck.

********

BPOV

"Edward!" I screamed as he dropped to the floor. "Edward!" I knelt next to him. He opened his eyes slowly, then grabbed his shoulder. I then saw that the bullet pierced his shoulder, not his heart.

"Don't move," Aro ordered, still pointing the gun at us. All six of us froze where we were. I glanced over and saw Rosalie was standing with her arms wrapped around Emmett. She looked terrified.

"So, you think you can come in my camp and steal my prisoners?" he asked, looking directly at Carl.

"Aro, this isn't about them and you know it."

"Please, Carl, of course it's about them. What, do you think their plane crashed her by accident? Do you think they were all on that plane by chance? No, they weren't. _I_ put them there. _I_ needed them. In case you haven't realized it yet, everything is part of a bigger plan."

"You are insane!"

"Insane, am I? Would an insane person we able to wipe out the human population with the press of a button? Would an insane person be able to create a perfect society, where there is no crime, no hunger, and no birth defects?"

"Aro, that's impossible. You're trying to control something that is unpredictable and left up to chance!" Carl said, exasperated.

"You don't know what you are talking about, Mr. Tracker."

"Yes, I'm a tracker, which is how I was able to find you. You don't get it, though. Human life is a complex system. You can't control a complex system, no matter how hard you try. You may think you are creating the perfect society by gassing the majority of the world, but all you are really doing is condemning the planet to an early demise!"

"Enough from you!" Aro screamed at Carl. "If you have no desire to be a part of this, then I guess you've served your purpose." Aro raised the gun and pointed it at Carl. I buried my face in Edward's chest. A moment later, there was a bang, a scream, and a loud thud as a body hit the floor.

********

JPOV

Oh shit.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit!

Savannah was on the ground, unconscious, having been knocked out by the native now approaching Eva.

I spied a metal pipe on the ground and picked it up. I ran towards Eva. Just as the native was about to whack Eva in the head, I blocked his blow with the pipe in my hand.

"Jasper, what—?"

"Eva, finish the job! I'll keep this guy busy," I said, battling with the native. Luckily, all my stunt training from movies had prepared me for this. _Star Wars_, I had to practice with Ewan McGregor daily to get the light saber fight sequence down. The only difference here was that if I was hit, I would probably get a broken bone.

I heard Eva typing in the background as I fought off the native. He kept trying to swing at my head, but I would either duck or block his swing with my pipe.

"Gas deactivated," I heard a computerized voice say.

"Eva!" I shouted.

"What?"

"Listen to me: grab Savannah, go find the others, and get the hell out of here. Once you're far enough away, detonate the dynamite."

"But Jasper, what about you?"

"Don't worry, I'll catch up." I ducked again, narrowly missing a blow to my neck. "Just get everyone to safety!"

She took one last look at me, then grabbed Savannah and pulled her out of The Selenium.

I continued my fight with the native.

********

RPOV

"Steven!" I screamed when I saw who was standing in the door now. Steven was standing there, gun still raised. Aro was on the floor, dead, having been shot in the head by Steven.

"Did yo9u honestly think those natives were going to get me?" he said, smiling.

"What happened?" Emmett asked.

"They chased me into the jungle. Unfortunately for them, I had a plan. I ran through the jungle until they couldn't see me. I had hidden guns there earlier, and I picked 'em off, one by one. Then, I ran like a bat outta hell to get back to you guys. Looks like I found you just in time."

Steven went over to Bella and helped her get Edward up off the ground. He was still cradling his shoulder. Serves him right, the adulterous bastard.

I heard footsteps in the hall. I peered out the door and saw Eva running towards us.

"C'mon, we have to go _now!_" she screeched at us. She ran back down the hall, and we all followed her.

Once we were outside, she ran over to someone slumped on the ground. I saw that it was Savannah.

"Where's Jasper?" Alice asked, panicked.

"He's still at The Selenium," Eva said, worried. "He told me to leave, get you guys, get out of here, and detonate it."

Alice started looking around, trying to find The Selenium so she could get Jasper.

"Look, over there!" I said, pointing to someone running toward us. It was Jasper, his white shirt all bloody.

"Jasper, what happened?" Alice said, flinging herself into his arms.

"A minor complication, but we need to get out of here now. They know we're here."

Emmett grabbed my hand and we ran into the jungle with everyone else following us. Carl caught up to us, matching Emmett's pace.

"On the count of three," I heard Eva shout, "everyone get down and covered." I looked back and saw she was holding a type of remote.

"One."

"Two."

"Three." Emmett yanked me onto the ground and threw himself on top of me. I peered out and saw Eva pressing a button on the remote. There was an explosion. I felt the island shake and I heard things hit the ground all around us.

Then, there was nothing.


	21. Chapter 20: Rescue?

Chapter 20: Rescue?

BPOV

"_Bella, that guy is here again," Angela said to me, glancing over my shoulder._

"_Again? How many times do I have to tell him no before he gets the hint that I'm not interested?"_

"_Maybe 200's the lucky number," she joked._

"_Ha ha, very funny. Can't you go over and tell him no for me?" I begged. _

"_Nope." She was just loving this._

"_I helped you get Jackson to ask you out, and you guys have been inseparable since then."_

"_Don't be a chicken. Go over, see what he wants, then turn him down like you've been for the past six months."_

_I sighed and walked over. Ever since Jacob had seen me do my striptease after work that night, he had been coming into the bar __every__ night for the past six months. And every night he would ask me on a date. And every night I said no._

_It wasn't that I didn't think Jacob was hot. In fact, he was probably the most attractive man I had ever seen in my life._

_The fact was, he had seen me naked—well, almost naked—and I was pretty sure that was the only reason he was asking me out._

_He just wanted to fuck me._

_Well, I' been there and done that. No more. I was done with screwing guys I barely knew. I was turning over a new leaf. Saying no to Jacob Black was the first step in my de-sluttying process._

"_The usual?" I asked him._

"_You know what, I think I'm going to change things up. Why don't you get me a glass of Merlot."_

_I nodded, then walked back to the bar. "Jackson, I need a glass of Merlot for Mr. Black."_

"_Hey, Bella?"_

"_Yeah, Jackson?"_

"_You should really give the poor guy a break. You've turned him down every night for six months. He's actually a good guy. Why don't you give him a chance?"_

"_I'm trying to de-slut or de-tramp or whatever you want to call it. I've been celibate for six months. Going out with a hot guy does __not__ help me keep that up."_

"_You don't have to sleep with him. Just go to dinner with him."_

"_An expensive dinner would involve me putting out."_

"_Fine, go to the movies with him."_

"_A darkened movie theater allows for ample make out time."_

"_Then go for a walk in the park!"_

"_That's what old married couples do."_

"_You are the most stubborn person I've ever meet. Why don't you pick where to go? Just give the poor guy a chance."_

_I sighed, grabbed the glass of wine, and brought it over to Jacob._

"_Bella—"_

"_Let me stop you right there. Here's the deal Jacob: I'm trying to become less of a whore, and dating you will not make that easy. So I made a decision. I'll go on one date with you. ONE. I get to choose where we go. Afterwards, I decide if you get to kiss me or call me or ever see me again."_

"_Well, where are we going for this date?" he asked, looking slightly weirded out. Good. Weirded out faces meant he was not thinking about what I looked like naked._

"_Bowling," I replied._

"_Bowling?"_

"_Yes, bowling."_

"_Bella, we're out of high school. Why don't I take you out to dinner?"_

"_No. I choose where we're going, and I choose bowling. I can even pay for us to go bowling!"_

"_Okay, I'll make you a deal. We go bowling, but I get to pick where."_

_I thought it over. "Okay, deal. Pick me up from here at 7 on Wednesday."_

"_I'll see you then."_

********

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

I felt myself being pulled onto the ground as the island began to shake. I looked up and saw that Edward had pulled me down and thrown himself over me.

I threw my arms around Edward, pulling him closer to me. The island was shaking like crazy. I heard stuff hitting the ground, but I kept my eyes closed.

After a few minutes, the island was still. It was silent. There was nothing around us.

"Edward," I whispered. "Edward, I think it's over."

Edward lifted his head off the ground and looked to the left, then to the right, then straight ahead. He slowly got off me, then pulled me off the ground.

Around us, I saw Emmett and Jasper helping Rosalie and Alice.

"Excellent work, my brother," Emmett said, bumping fists with Edward. I rolled my eyes. Eva got up and walked over to us. Steven, Carl, and Savannah were all dusting themselves as they got off the ground.

"So, did we do it?" I asked her. She nodded, smiling.

"We did great. We got the plans, deactivated the gas, blew up the station, and killed Aro. Mr. Howard will be so pleased."

"So now what?" Emmett asked.

"Now," she said, smiling, "we walk back to camp, call the boat on the sat phone, and tell them to come and get us off this island."

"You mean—we're going home?" Alice asked. Eva nodded.

"Well, what the hell are we standing here for? Let's get back to camp!" Rosalie shouted.

I slid my hand into Edward's and the two of us started walking back to camp. Everyone else was following us, talking excitedly.

"Can you believe we're finally going home?" I asked him. I was thrilled. I missed my dad, Charlie, so much.

"Uh, yeah it's unbelievable," Edward said unenthusiastically.

"What's the matter? Aren't you excited?" I asked him.

"I'm happy to be going home to see my family," was all he said.

What was wrong with him? Did he not want us being seen together in the public? Was he embarrassed of me? Because I worked at a strip club?

"Edward, I have a question," I asked tentatively.

"Bella, you can ask me anything, and I will always tell you the truth."

I took a deep breath. "What's going to happen with us when we go home?"

"I don't know," he said softly. "It's different for you than it is for me. Your friends see you have a new boyfriend, they congratulate you, but otherwise stay out of your business. The people my family calls 'friends' scrutinize every decision I make. My family is very prominent. My dad is a famous surgeon and my mother is friends with all the women in high society. The women she hangs out with are people like Alice's parents."

"So, you don't want to make me your girlfriend because you're ashamed of me," I said, staring at the ground.

"Bella," he said, stopping. I kept staring at the ground. "Bella, look at me." I locked my eyes with his. He placed his hand right under my jaw. "I could never be ashamed of you. You are the kindest, most sincere person I've ever met. I'm only thinking of you. One of my ex-girlfriends sent me to the emergency room after meeting my friends. Two others have gone into the Witness-Protection program. I just want to make sure you can deal with these people."

"Edward, whatever we do from now on, we do together. If I'm diving headfirst into the shark tank drenched in blood, I want you there with me." He smiled and pulled my face to his.

"I really don't want to be seeing that," I heard Emmett shout from behind us. "I don't want to hurl." I stuck out my right hand and flipped him off.

"Real classy, Swan," Emmett chortled.

I ignored him and went back to kissing Edward. I pulled back, sighed, and rested my head on his chest.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just can't believe we're actually going to go home."

He laughed. "That's the hundredth time you've said that."

"Well, I'm really excited. I haven't seen my dad for almost three months. Or my friends. Or anybody except you and Alice and Emmett and everyone else on this island."

"Hey, bro," Emmett said, coming up behind us and throwing an arm around Edward's shoulder.

"What, Emmett?" Edward groaned.

"What do you say we race back to camp?"

"Why would I do that?" Edward asked, sounding annoyed.

"Well, it's our last chance to do something fun like this on the island. Soon, we're going back home. Why not go out with a bang."

"Emmett, you're insane!" I laughed.

"C'mon, Edward," Emmett begged.

Edward sighed. "I don't know _why_ I'm doing this…"

"Yes! Okay, on the count of three, we both start sprinting for camp. One, two, three!"

"Emmett, wait!" Edward called as Emmett sprinted into the trees. Edward chased after them.

"Boys," I muttered. I waited for Rosalie to catch up, and the two of us walked together since our boyfriends had deserted us.

"So, what's going on with you and Edward?" she asked. "You looked like you were fighting up there earlier."

"Oh, that. I was just asking what's happening with us once we get off this island, and he seemed hesitant to commit to anything, saying something about his friends and family, but we decided to take it one day at a time."

Rosalie muttered something under her breath.

"What?" I asked her.

"Nothing," she said, looking away from me.

"Rose, is there something you want to tell me?" I asked her.

"It's nothing," she said, still avoiding my glance.

"Rose…" I started to whine.

"It's not my business. This is between you and Edward."

Me and Edward? What did she mean me and Edward?

"C'mon, let's go find our idiot boyfriends," she said, linking her arm with mine. We stomped through the jungle, pushing branches out of our faces until we made it back to camp.

"You did it! I can't believe you did it!" Leah shrieked, throwing herself into my arms.

"Leah, wow, you're looking better!" I said excitedly.

"Yeah, I stopped vomiting earlier today. Maybe it's done and I'll be fine," she said hopefully.

"Better or not, we're getting off this island," Rosalie said. "As soon as Eva and the others get back, we're calling the freighter and telling them to get us the hell off of this island."

"Good plan," she laughed. "I hope the people on the freighter agree with that."

"Here comes Jasper and Alice. Eva, Steven, Carl, and Savannah were right behind them." Sure enough, a minute after Jasper and Alice walked in, the freighter group joined us.

"So are you going to call them?" Alice asked anxiously.

"Give me a moment," Eva said, putting her pack on the ground. "Steven, take this," Eva said, handing him the folder Rosalie and I recovered from the file room. Steven put it in his case, and put the case in his backpack.

Eva walked over and picked up the sat phone. She dialed the ship, and the phone started ringing.

"Yeah?" a gruff voice answered on the other end.

"Tony? It's Eva."

"This better be good. We're not coming back out to the island unless you have that file."

"We got it!" Eva shouted into the phone. "We got it!"

"And Aro?" he asked.

"Dead. He was going to kill us, so Steven shot him. The gas is deactivated, and the station is destroyed. It's all over."

"Are you sure?" Tony asked skeptically.

"Yes, I'm positive. We placed the dynamite in the building and detonated it after we were a safe distance away."

"Excellent. Your boss will be very happy."

"I know. Can you send the zodiac to come get us off this island? We're ready to go home."

"I'll send Leo back on the zodiac. He can bring you all back here." Eva ended the call on the sat phone and turned to the rest of us.

"He should be here soon. You're going home."

********

"_Jake, will you tell me where we're going?" I complained as Jacob got in the driver's seat of the Ferrari._

"_Nope. It's a surprise." A mischievous grin spread across his face. _

"_Jake, you know how I feel about surprises," I whined. "You come home, tell me to get dressed in my nicest dress, then we leave on your private jet. Now, we're in some random place driving to some unknown destination." I let out a sigh and rested my neck on the headrest on my seat._

"_We're here," he said, pulling into the parking lot of a restaurant._

"_Spago__?" I asked in disbelief. "You brought me to __Spago__?" I remember six months ago when Jacob and I heard about Wolfgang Puck's new restaurant in Beverly Hills. Ever since we had dinner at __Postrio__ in Las Vegas, I had fallen in love with his cuisine._

"_I told you we'd come here, baby."_

"_Yeah, I thought when we were in L.A., not for some evening trip!" I screeched. Jacob was always doing things like this—spoiling me with expensive gifts, five-star dinners, and grand gestures. I had a feeling tonight was another grand gesture night._

"_C'mon, let's go in. I called ahead, and Wolfgang is actually here tonight."_

"_Really?" I breathed. "Do you think we could actually meet him?"_

_He laughed. "Baby, I'm Jacob Black. Of __course__ we can meet him." I leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around me. We walked into the restaurant, and were seated immediately._

"_We'll have your most expensive bottle of champagne, and whatever the chef wants to make for us," he told the waiter. He nodded and walked away._

"_Champagne?" I asked in disbelief. "We aren't celebrating anything."_

"_Not yet."_

_The waiter came back a moment later with champagne and two glasses. He uncorked and pored each of us a glass._

"_Thank you, Jimmy," Jacob said, slipping the waiter a tip as he walked away. I was about to take a drink, when Jacob pushed my glass back down on the table. "Not yet."_

_He got out of his chair and knelt in front of me. "I'd like everyone's attention," Jacob called out in the restaurant. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at us._

"_Jake," I whispered. "What are you doing?" He knew how I hated being the center of attention._

"_Isabella Swan?" he asked, gazing into my eyes. I felt tears start flowing down my cheeks. "I love you. I will love you forever. I will never love anyone the way I love you. Will you marry me?" He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small, black box. He opened it, and inside there was a large diamond ring._

_I looked back at him, and nodded. I couldn't say anything, I was so happy._

_The entire restaurant burst into applause as Jacob lifted me out of my seat and planted a huge kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around the neck to deepen it. A moment later, he set me back on the ground._

"_I love you," I whispered to him._

"_I love you, too."_

_He kissed my hand before sliding the ring onto my finger._

********

"Eva, I think he's here," Alice shouted from the shore. She and Jasper had been staring at the ocean for the past hour, waiting for Leo and the zodiac to arrive.

Eva ran to the shore and helped Leo toe the zodiac onto the beach.

"So how many of you are there?" he asked her.

"There're four of us, and eight of them, which makes for a grand total of twelve people, plus you."

He thought for a moment. "I can fit all of you. We might move a little slower, but we'll get there. Gather everyone and get them in the boat," he ordered Eva.

I walked back to the beach to find Edward, but I didn't see him anywhere. I looked around, until I saw him emerging from the jungle with Rosalie tagging along behind him. Neither party looked very happy.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking from him to Rosalie.

"Nothing," he said. "We were just talking." I saw Rosalie glare at him, and he shifted his eyes away from my face.

"Well, Leo's here with the zodiac," I told them. A huge smile broke onto Rosalie's face, and she ran back to the beach to find Emmett.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" I asked him again. He nodded. I changed the subject. "It's weird, leaving," I told him.

"How so?"

"Well, this island's been out home for the past three months. It'll be weird to finally have a change to shower, drive a car, and eat food we didn't catch ourselves."

He laughed. "I guess so." He grabbed my hand and the two of us joined the rest of the remaining survivors.

"Okay, Alice, is there any way you can fit on Jasper's lap?" Eva asked her as everyone piled into the zodiac. Alice obliged and seated herself comfortably on top of Jasper. He didn't seem to mind.

"Okay, I think the rest of the girls are going to have to sit on somebody in order for us all to fit." Rosalie, Leah and I sat on top of Emmett, Mike, and Edward, respectively.

Once everyone was situated, Leo jumped on the boat, and we headed out into open water.

"How long will it take to get to the freighter?" Eva asked him.

"About half an hour," he said.

The 12 of us sat in the boat as Leo navigated it around the ocean's waves. We passed the wreckage site after 20 minutes. We all bowed our heads. Remembering everyone we had lost.

"There she is, right us ahead," Leo shouted to us over the wind. I looked ahead and saw a huge black boat, sitting in the water.

"That's where we're going?" I asked, shocked. Leo nodded.

We approached the boat and someone lowered a rope ladder down. "You all go on ahead and climb up,: Leo told us. Alice got out first and climbed up the ladder.

Jasper followed her. Then Rosalie, Emmett, Leah, Mike, and finally me. I got off Edward's lap and started climbing up. I looked back down and saw Edward staring up at me, making sure I was okay. I smiled at him and continued climbing.

I finally approached the opening on the ship and climbed on board. As soon as I stood up, a pair of strong arms grabbed me, something was thrown over my head, and all I saw was darkness.

**AN: An answer to some questions—no, this is not a Lost crossover. I am a huge Lost fan, and I got the ideas from Lost, but it is only involving Twilight characters. Some of the plot elements are similar to things that happened on Lost, but it is not the same.**


	22. Chapter 21: The Freighter

Chapter 21: The Freighter

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Littlemizzyx, your review made me laugh. I loved it!**

EPOV

"_Esme, why are you dragging me to this thing?" I groaned to my mother as we walked into the Brandon's Christmas Eve ball. _

"_Dear, Carlisle is working tonight, and you know I couldn't pay Emmett enough to come with me."_

_I shook my head. Esme greeted Mr. and Mrs. Brandon, the cream of the crop in Beverly Hills society._

"_Louis ,Abigail," she said, kissing them on the cheek. "Where are Alice and Cynthia?" she asked, peering around the room for the tiny figures of the teenage Brandon sisters._

"_Cynthia is here somewhere," Mrs. Brandon said, looking around._

"_And Alice?" Esme asked._

"_Spending the holiday with her friends in Europe," Mrs. Brandon said, smiling. "They're all back from college for winter break."_

"_Oh, where is Alice going to school?" my mother asked._

"_She's not enrolled anywhere, currently. She's decided to take a year off."_

"_And how is she doing?"_

"_Wonderful."_

"_Well, that's good, considering everything that happened a few years ago." How could I forget 17-year-old Alice's stint in rehab for substance abuse? It was the biggest story of the year, and the biggest scandal the Brandon's had ever faced._

"_Oh, you brought Edward tonight. How lovely!" Mrs. Brandon exclaimed, finally noticing me. "Where is Carlisle?"_

"_Working, like always," Esme sighed. "So, I had Edward come with me instead."_

"_Your wife doesn't mind that you're spending the evening with your mother instead of her?"_

_I laughed. "I'm making it up to her with a new diamond necklace and a trip to Fiji."_

"_How are you and Tanya?" Mr. Brandon asked._

"_Great. Well, she's annoyed that I'm spending all my time at the hospital, but other than that, we're great. She opened up an art gallery in downtown Los Angeles since she can't run her one in Seattle anymore."_

"_So are you and Tanya going to be giving your parents any grandchildren?" Mr. Brandon asked._

_Esme let out a high laugh. "I don't think Edward and Tanya are ready for that just yet. I mean, they haven't even been married for a year."_

"_Well, why not? Abigail and I were only married three months before she was pregnant with Alice."_

"_Louis, Edward has his career to focus on. He doesn't have time right now to start a family. He has his residency to focus on."_

"_People these days, all they think about are their careers. We need to get back to focusing on our families. I want you to remember that, Edward," he said turning to me. "No matter how much you enjoy your career, focus on your family more. Never take your wife for granted."_

"_Yes, sir."_

"_Come along, Edward. Let's go enjoy this lovely party."_

********

"Edward, can I talk to you" I looked around and saw Rosalie looking at me. Weird. Why did she want to talk to me? Maybe something about Emmett?

"Sure, what's up, Rosalie?"

"Can we go somewhere a little more private?" she said, gesturing towards the jungle behind her.

"Yeah," I said a little hesitant. I followed her into the jungle and she spun around, looking me directly in the eyes.

"Listen, Edward, I know we don't hang out a lot on the island. You're always with Bella, and I'm always with Emmett, but Bella is my friend, and I won't let you hurt her.

"Okay. I have no intention to hurt her," I said, slightly confused.

"You will," she said. "I know you will. You should just tell her the truth now."

"What are we talking about?"

"When Bella and I went to the native's camp to search for the plans, we found a room with files. They had files on thousands of people, including everyone on the plane. I found yours."

Crap. Did she read it?

"I read it, and I saw something that disturbed me. Does Tanya Denali ring a bell?"

Tanya? My wife Tanya? The cheating whore Tanya? Fuck.

"I don't know the reason you're cheating on your wife with Bella, but my guess is Bella doesn't know she's your mistress." She glared at me with her self-righteous eyes.

"Let me explain something," I said, looking at Rosalie. Something felt wrong about having a Playboy model judge me. "I married Tanya after I knew her for only a few months. We were married a little more than a year ago. A week before I went to Japan, I came home and found her in bed with another man. Before we crashed on the island, I filed for divorce. So yes, technically, I am still married, but not for long. I did not see it as cheating n Tanya when I started getting close to Bella."

She gave me a suspicious stare. "I don't know if I believe you."

"Are you going to tell Bella?"

"No, it would hurt her too much. You're going to tell her. Tell her the truth before we go home and some reporter tells her. This way, you can tell her the whole story, whatever it is."

"Thanks, Rosalie."

"Don't thank me. The only reason I haven't exposed you for the scum you are is because I care about Bella and I would never hurt her like that."

"Either way, thank you. I'm going to fix this, I promise." We walked out of the jungle, and saw Bella.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking from me to Rosalie.

"Nothing. We were just talking." I saw Rosalie give me a dirty look.

"Well, Leo's here with the zodiac." Rosalie ran back to the beach to find my idiot brother, giving Bella and I some alone time.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" she asked again. I nodded. I got ready, planning to tell her about Tanya, when she abruptly changed the subject. "It's weird, leaving."

"How so?" I asked. All she had talked about while we were here was getting off the island, now she says it's weird to leave.

"Well, this island's been out home for the past three months. It'll be weird to finally have a change to shower, drive a car, and eat food we didn't catch ourselves."

I laughed. "I guess so." I grabbed her hand, and the two of us walked back to the beach where everyone else was getting into the zodiac.

Once all the guys got in, the girls got on top of our laps. I didn't mind having Bella on top of me for a half-hour boat ride. I kept burying my head in her neck, absorbing her smell. Even when she was sweaty and dirty, she smelled like the sweetest thing.

"There she is, right ahead of us!" Leo shouted as we approached a large black boat.

"That's where we're going?" Bella asked, sounding shocked. Leo just smiled and nodded his head.

When we reached the side of the boat, someone lowered a ladder down to us. "You all go on ahead and climb us," Leo said. Alice was closest, so she was the first up. Jasper followed her. Then Rosalie, Emmett, Leah, and Mike. Bella and I were left in the zodiac with Eva, Steven, Savannah, Carl, and Leo.

I wanted to tell her about Tanya, but not with other people around. Once we got on the boat, I would take her somewhere, explain the situation to her, and beg her to forgive me. I gave Bella a quick kiss on the cheek as she got up off my lap and started climbing the rope.

When she was a quarter of the way up, she looked back at me, smiled, and continued climbing. Once she had climbed on the boat, I started up the ladder. The entire time I was climbing, I mentally prepared myself for to tell Bella about Tanya.

I could do this. I would do this. I reached the top of the ladder and climbed on the boat. I looked around for a moment before a bag was shoved over my head and I couldn't see anything. I began thrashing around, but a pair of strong arms grabbed me and held me still.

"Put him with the others!" a gruff voice ordered. I was dragged from the spot down a corridor, then thrown to the ground. I heard a door slam shut, then nothing.

"Edward?" I heard a small voice ask. I lifted the bag off my head and looked next to me. Sitting on the ground was Bella. Her right cheek was swollen and she had a gash under her left eye.

"Bella!" I cried, pulling her into my chest. I felt her body shake. I looked down and she was crying. "Shh, baby. It's going to be okay."

"I thought—they were—rescuing us!" she gasped in between sobs.

"Yes, I would like to know why they treated us so rudely," a deeper voice said. I looked around the room and saw Emmett sitting there, looking at us. Rosalie was next to him with her head on his shoulder. In the corner, there was Jasper with Alice sitting on his lap, and next to them was Newton with his arm around Leah's waist.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Alice asked us, standing up. We all looked at her. "They were never planning on _actually_ rescuing us. They used us. They used us to help them complete their mission, then decided to imprison us until they knew what to do with us."

I sat on the ground with Bella still pressed against my chest. I rubbed her back as she continued sobbing.

"What are we supposed to do?" I asked. "Sit here and wait for them to decide to kill us?"

"What are we supposed to do?" Emmett asked. "In case you haven't noticed, we're stuck inside this cell with no way of getting out. We've been attacked and beaten by people we thought were here to rescue us. If you have a better plan, Edward, I'd like to hear it."

"I just can't believe Eva, Carl, Steven, and Savannah were behind this," Bella whispered.

"I know," Jasper agreed. "We lived with those people for weeks. We trusted them! And then they turn around and turn us over to these people!" I saw Alice put a hand on his back, trying to calm him down.

"I just don't know why they would do this to us," Leah said quietly. Everyone shook their head. None of us knew why we had been treated like this.

"Oh my gosh, Seth and Cynthia!" Alice suddenly screamed.

"What about them?" Mike asked.

"They've been on this boat for weeks. What happened to them? What if they killed them? Oh my god, Cynthia!" Alice sobbed, throwing her arms around Jasper.

"Alice, we don't know that they're dead," I said calmly. "They could be somewhere else. Maybe they even found a way off the ship and are getting help," I said hopefully.

"Or maybe they're in the cell next to you guys, wondering how the only hope of rescue got captured," said a voice in the cell next to us.

********

"_Baby?" I asked one night while Tanya and I were lying in bed._

"_Mmm?"_

"_Are you happy?"_

"_What kind of ridiculous question is that?" she said, sitting up._

"_I'm serious. Are you happy with me? Do you ever regret marrying me after only a short time dating?_

"_Edward, I love you. I can't say that I'm happy one hundred percent of the time, but no one is always happy. I wish you didn't work as much as you did, but I can deal with it."_

"_Really?"_

"_Really. What brought this on?" she asked, looking at me funny._

"_Well, when I went to that Christmas party with my mother, we saw the Brandon's, and something Mr. Brandon said stuck with me."_

"_What did he say?"_

"_Well he asked me if we were planning on having kids soon, then he said to always put your family first."_

"_Oh my gosh, Edward!" she said, throwing her arms around me and crushing her lips to mine._

"_Tanya…" I mumbled against her lips. I lightly pushed her away and looked her in the eyes._

"_What?" she said, looking annoyed. "Don't you want to have kids?"_

"_Eventually I do, but not right now. Baby, we've only been married for a 78 months. I love you and I do want to start a family with you, but not yet."_

"_Why not? Why isn't now the right time?"_

"_Sweetie, I'm still in my residency. I'm barely home now. If we started a family, I would be leaving you at home with an infant. I wouldn't be able to help. I couldn't do that to you."_

"_So this whole thing about putting your family doesn't apply to you? You're still going to be spending all your time at the hospital?"_

"_Well, yeah."_

_Tanya let out a sigh and rolled over on the bed, turning her back to me._

"_Did I say something?"_

"_Good night, Edward," Tanya said shutting off her light._

********

"Seth?" I gasped. "Seth, is that really you?"

"It is."

"Is Cynthia there? Is she okay?" Alice screeched.

"Shut up, Alice. I'm fine," Cynthia groaned.

I looked through the bars in our cell, and was able to make out two figures sitting on the floor in the cell next to us.

"So, have you guys been here the whole time?" Emmett asked.

"I have," Seth said bitterly. "Cynthia was in the hospital wing for a few days while they operated on her. Once she was better, they put her in here with me. We get meals three times a day, and someone comes down to check on us once a day."

"Do you know why they're doing this?" Leah asked.

"We heard them talking down the hall last week. Apparently, the guys on this boat aren't happy that we were brought here. They were hired to bring the group to the island and bring them back. There was nothing in there about bringing us back."

"So…they never were here to rescue us," Bella said, looking at the floor.

"Nope. The guy who's in charge, Andy, he's a real mean guy. The third day on the ship, he knocked me out for asking about Cynthia."

"Seth!" Leah cried, reaching her hands through the bars. The reaction was instant. One minute, Leah was reaching towards Seth. The next, she was flying through the air until she hit the wall of the cell.

"Leah!" Mike yelled, running over to her. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms.

"The—the bars—"

"—they're electrified," Seth finished. "Yeah, I found that out when I grabbed them my second day here."

"Seth, what—"

"Shh," Seth said, putting a finger to his lips. I cocked my head to the door, and heard voices.

"—why the hell did you think bringing them here was a good idea?" a gruff voice shouted.

"What was I supposed to do, leave them on that island? They were going to die there if we left them!" a woman shouted. The voice sounded like Eva.

"You should have approved this with me!" the man shouted.

"Just because you're the captain doesn't mean I need to get your permission for everything! If I want to rescue a group of people, I can do that!"

"Unfortunately for you, _I'm_ the one driving this boat!"

"I can't believe you! You would have me leave them there to die instead of doing the right thing?"

I heard skin-on-skin contact, then a body hit the floor. "Get back to your bunk," the man spat at Eva. We heard him walk away.

I heard Eva cough. Then, I heard her light footsteps get closer until she was standing in front of us.

"Hey, guys," she said, looking at us with pleading eyes.

"Hey," Rosalie said stiffly to her. "Decided to come off us yourself, have you?"

"In case you're forgetting, _I'm_ the one who rescued you. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be on that island."

"We'd be better off there!" Rosalie screamed at her. "At least we had our freedom there. When were you planning to imprison us? When we were no longer useful?"

"I had no idea they were going to imprison you, you have to believe me! My boss told me we might find survivors on the island, and to rescue them if we found them. I had no idea that the people on the boat had other instructions."

"What are those instructions?" I asked, although I had a feeling I knew what they were.

"To kill any survivors we brought on board."

"So what are they waiting for? Why go through the motions of keeping us prisoners?" Bella asked.

"They're waiting until we're farther out at sea. Tomorrow, they're planning on killing you all and dumping the bodies."

"But why?" Leah asked.

"Because everyone thinks you're dead. Mr. Howard spent a lot of time convincing the world that _everyone_ aboard Japan Airlines flight 2232 died in the crash. If survivors are found, that's going to make people suspicious of Mr. Howard. That's going to mean investigations. Mr. Howard has a _lot_ to hide."

"And you're okay with them killing us?"

"Of course not. Once they kill you, they're going to kill me and the rest of the team. We know too much. We've seen you, and we know about the plan to murder you. I'm just as expendable as you are to Mr. Howard."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked. "We don't have a key, and the bars are electrified. It's impossible to get out of here."

"You don't have a key, but I can get one."

"Great. We break out. Someone will see us, and kill us."

"Not if you do it at night. I know where there's an emergency raft that will fit all of you. I already have a bag packed with food and other supplies. If you head east, you'll eventually hit land. Once you're there, you can alert the locals to who you are, and you'll be rescued."

"But they'll come after us," Bella protested.

"Not if someone stops them," Eva said somberly.

"Eva, no!" Leah shrieked.

"I have to. It's the only way, and you know it. I'll send you guys off, then wire with boat with all the C4 this boat has. You'll be safe."

"Eva, I won't let you!" Rosalie said, standing up.

"Rose, I've been a bitch to you. To all of you. This is my way of redeeming myself. If I can guarantee your safety, then that's all that will matter."

"But—"

"No buts. At around 11 o'clock tonight, someone will be down to check on you. Carl is going to be down here, watching. He'll come and let you guys out. He'll bring you to me, and I'll send you guys on your way."

I nodded, and Eva walked away.

"Can we trust her?" Bella asked.

"We have to. We have no other choice. Either she helps us and we survive, or we stay here and die."

I pulled Bella close to me as we sat on the floor and waited for Carl.


	23. Chapter 22: That's A Lot of C4

Chapter 22: That's A Lot of C4

**AN: Again, no flashbacks in this chapter. **

BPOV

"Is Carl going to be here soon?" I asked Edward. It had been hours since Eva left us, but I hadn't seen Carl.

"You heard Eva. Fist, someone is going to check on us. Then, once the coast is clear, Carl is going to come get us and bring us to Eva." Edward sighed and rested his head against the wall of the cell. I rested my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around his torso.

I looked over at Rose and saw her giving Edward the death stare. I caught her eyes, and she looked away. What was going on with those two? Every time Rosalie saw Edward, she looked like she wanted to kill him. It was weird.

I heard footsteps coming down the hall, and then someone walked past the cell. I saw it was Leo, the man who rescued us from the island. I couldn't believe he was a part of this too.

"Enjoy your first night off that island," he sneered at us as he peered in the bars. I just pulled myself closer to Edward.

"This is such bullshit!" Rosalie shrieked, standing up. "I mean, Emmett, Newton, Alice, Cynthia, and I are all well known people. Why would they want to kill us? Wouldn't people realize what happened?"

"Rose, baby, everyone already thinks we're dead. It will be a bigger story if we come back alive." She sunk back down onto the floor, sobbing into Emmett's chest.

"I thought that was your lovely voice, Rose," a voice said from outside the bars.

Carl!

"So are you here to help us escape or are just planning on standing there all night?" Alice asked him.

"Give me a minute. I need to deactivate the electricity on the bars." He walked over to the wall and flipped a switch. "There we go. Let me unlock the door and get you guys out of here." He pulled out a ring of keys and placed the key in the lock when we heard shouting.

"I already checked on 'em!" Leo was shouting.

"Well check them again!" another voice shouted back. We heard footsteps stomping down the stairs, and Leo muttering to himself.

"Quick, hide!" I hissed at Carl. He crouched down behind a pile of boxes just as Leo walked back into the room.

"Yep, prisoners are all still here. What did he—?" Leo stopped talking immediately, looking horrified at the cell door.

The keys were still in the lock.

"What the—?" he started to say before Carl emerged from behind the boxes. He pulled out a gun and fired three times. Leo dropped to the floor, dead.

I started screaming.

"Bella, shut up!" Carl yelled. "They probably heard that, and it doesn't help us stay inconspicuous with you screeching your head off!" I stopped screaming immediately.

Carl unlocked both cells. The ten of us followed him out of the room and down the stairs.

"Shouldn't we hide?" I asked him.

"No. We need to get you guys off this boat as fast as we can. I wasn't anticipating Leo coming back down when I was springing you lot from your jail cells. Unfortunately, me killing him probably woke the whole ship. Once they go down to the prisoner holding cells and realize you guys are missing, they're going to be on red alert. The sooner we get you guys off, the better."

"But what about you, Eva, Steven, and Savannah?" Alice asked with a tremble in her voice.

"Our job is to make sure you guys are safe. I may seem like a real jerk, but I am _not_ okay with murdering ten completely innocent people just because. Besides, I'm dead either way. If they catch me, they'll kill me. If I let them kill you, they'll kill me. Might as well do something good if I'm marked for death."

"But you don't have to die!" Rosalie said. "You could leave with us. Get in the raft and leave. You, Eva, Steven, and Savannah could come with us!"

"Who's going to keep the freighter people from coming after you?"

"Eva said she's going to blow up the ship, right? Why don't you guys come with us, and then detonate it once we're far enough away?"

Carl didn't say anything, but he looked like he was considering Rosalie's plan.

We crept down the stairs to the bottom of the ship. Carl led us through the cargo area until we came to a small room.

"In here," he hissed. We all filed in, and Carl closed the door behind us.

"Where are we?" I asked Carl.

"This is where the food elevator is. We're going to take it down, one by one. Eva is down there, waiting for you guys. There's an exit off the ship that's the closest to the water we can get. Cynthia, why don't you go first?" Cynthia nodded, then climbed in the small elevator.

A moment later, she was gone. The elevator came back up, and Seth climbed in. Like Cynthia, he disappeared, and the elevator came back up, empty.

"Alice, you go next," Edward said. Alice easily climbed in and disappeared. I started to worry. That elevator was really small. It was no problem for tiny people like Alice, but I wasn't as petite as she was. What if I broke it?

The elevator reappeared, and Leah climbed in next. She was gone in a flash, then the elevator was back.

"Bella, you're up next," Carl said, looking at me.

"Uh, why doesn't Rose go next?" I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Bella, you're the next smallest. You should go," Emmett said calmly.

I shook my head no. "Have Rose go."

Rosalie sighed, but she climbed in the small elevator and disappeared.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked, stroking my cheek with his hand.

"I can't do it," I said, fighting back tears. "I'm not small like Alice and Leah. What if I break it, and you, Emmett, Jasper, Mike, and Carl are stuck here?" I wiped away the tears that escaped from my eyes.

"Honey, you don't need to worry about that. You _need_ to get down there! It's the only way you're going to survive." He kissed me lightly on the forehead.

The elevator came back up, and all the boys looked at me. "You need to go now, Bella," Jasper said.

"Bella, we won't go until you go," Mike said, looking me straight in the eyes. I sighed and started climbing into the elevator, when I heard a bang. I looked around and saw Carl, Emmett, and Jasper with their backs pressed against the door.

"Oh shit. Bella, just go!" Edward shouted, going over to help the rest of them with the door. I saw the door moving, and I heard someone shout, "They're in here!" I pressed the button on the inside of the elevator, and the scene in front of me disappeared.

A moment later, the elevator came to a stop, and a pair of hands pulled me out of the elevator. I looked up and saw Rosalie standing next to me. She took in my panicked face and my crying eyes.

"Oh shit!"

********

EPOV

"Newton, get in the fucking elevator!" I shouted at him. He was the one closest to it.

"But—"

"Now!" He climbed in quickly and disappeared from sight.

"How are we all going to get out of this?" I asked Carl. He shook his head, and threw all his body weight against the door.

The elevator reappeared. I didn't know how we were going to do this. It was taking the combined efforts of Emmett, Jasper, Carl, and myself to prevent the guys from the freighter from coming in and killing us all.

"Jasper, go," Emmett said, pushing him towards the elevator. I felt the door start budging slightly once Jasper left, but I used the rest of my strength to keep it closed.

"Is there anything in here we can use to jam it shut?" I asked. Carl and I looked around, and saw a lead pipe.

"Grab that!" Carl shouted. I picked it up, and we slid it into the door handles. Keeping the door shut temporarily.

"Emmett, go!" I said when the elevator came back. He dived into it and he disappeared. Carl and I both still had our backs to the door, using all our efforts to keep it closed.

"Edward, when the elevator comes back, you need to get in it as fast as you can. I don't know how long I can hold them off. Just get down to the others, and I'll join you."

The elevator came back up, and I left Carl to climb into it. That's when it happened.

The pipe broke and the doors flew open. Carl turned to me and screamed, "GO!" as one of the men from the freighter hit him over the head with a pipe. I saw the blood pouring onto his face as I disappeared.

I climbed out of the elevator, and Bella flew into my arms. "Oh, Edward!" she sobbed, burying her face into my chest. "I thought…oh, Edward!"

"Shh, baby, it's okay," I said, smoothing her hair. "Hey, Eva!"

"Yeah?"

"Is there any way we can jam this elevator? The guys from the freighter broke into the room."

"What about Carl?" she asked. I shook my head. She let out a small sob. "Press that button on the wall," she said, her voice shaking. I pressed the red button next to the elevator on the wall, and the lights went out. "That shuts off the power for it. Now come on before they get down here."

We followed Eva through rooms until we came to an opening at the side of the boat. The hatch door was open. I peered out, and saw a raft waiting in the water.

"There are bags with food, water, blankets, oars, and first aid supplies in the raft already. The raft is tied to the boat so it won't drift away. Once you are all in, start paddling east. You'll hit land eventually."

"How are we supposed to get down there?" Rosalie asked.

"There's a ladder on the side of the boat. It's directly above the raft. What are you guys waiting for? Start climbing!"

Alice, followed by Jasper, started climbing down the ladder into the raft. Cynthia and Seth went after, then Leah and Mike. Then, it was just Emmett, Rosalie, Bella, and I left with Eva, Steven, and Savannah.

"Eva, I can never thank you enough for this," Rosalie said. "You're saving our lives." She went over to her and gave her a hug. Eva looked surprised, but returned the hug.

"I never amounted to anything in my life. I want to know that I made a difference. Saving you guys can be that difference."

"Come with us!" Bella said, pleading. "Leave the boat, and detonate the ship from the raft."

"How will I be able to ensure they don't come after you? Once they realize you left the ship, they'll come after you and kill you. If I stay on the ship, I can make sure they don't."

"Eva, we can't let you sacrifice your life for ours," Emmett said.

"Yes, I can. Savannah and Steven will be with you guys. I'll make sure they don't come after you.

"Whoa, what?" Steven asked, looking at Eva.

"Do you think I'm going to let you die too?" she asked him.

"Yes. We're a team. We don't leave anyone behind," he said, staring straight at her."

"Yeah. Either we all go, or we all stay. You choose," Savannah said.

Eva looked from Steven to Savannah. "You realize the risk we're taking, right? If this stuff doesn't detonate, there's nothing stopping them from coming after us."

"We'll have to take that chance," Steven said, squeezing her hand. Eva smiled at him. "Okay, everyone in the raft."

Rosalie and Emmett made their way down the ladder. Bella was next. She exited the freighter onto the ladder and started climbing down.

"See you down there," I said to Steven, Eva and Savannah as I approached the ladder. I heard a pop, then a thud. I looked behind me and saw Savannah on the ground, her white shirt red with blood.

I looked back to Eva and Steven. Eva turned around just as a fist connected with her face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you bitch?" Leo asked her. He began punching and kicking her. "Did you think you could just escape? Did you think your little plan would work?"

"Edward, go," she gasped in between blows. I saw her spit up some blood.

"Steven, come on!" I said, grabbing his hand.

"No, you go," he said, pulling it out of my grasp. He went over to another one of the men from the freighter and began punching him.

I started climbing out of the boat, when someone grabbed me and pulled me back in.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, scum?" a voice asked. I felt a fist connect with my check, and I fell to the ground. I started getting up, but then I took a boot to the chest. I fell back to the ground.

"Get up, you worthless piece of shit," the man spat at me. "Get up and fight!" I started to get up, but was kicked in the gut and fell to the ground again.

"Edward, jump!" Eva screamed at me. I opened my eyes, pushed my attacker and then got up. I ran and jumped out of the opening on the ship, then felt the cold water engulf me.

********

APOV

The wind was ferocious as I climbed down the ladder into the raft. I was the first one off the ship, but Jasper joined me in the raft a minute later.

"Seth and Cynthia are right behind me," he told me as he got in the raft. Sure enough, Seth and Cynthia joined us next.

Following them were Mike and Leah. They climbed in, but we didn't see Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, or Bella on the ladder.

"What are they doing?" Jasper asked. "Why aren't they climbing down?"

"Do you think the freighter people found them?" I asked, frightened.

"I don't know," Jasper said, looking worried.

"I'm sure they\'re just trying to convince Eva and the others to some with us," Leah said confidently.

"Maybe…" I said, looking up again. "Wait, look! Someone's climbing down!"

Everyone looked up and saw a slender female body climbing down the ladder. She had blonde hair.

"It's Rosalie!" Cynthia shrieked. "And Emmett's right above her!"

Sure enough, Emmett's massive figure was right above Rosalie's statuesque one. They joined us in the raft.

Bella was now climbing down the ladder and into the raft.

"Where's Edward?" I asked her.

"Isn't her climbing down now?" she asked, looking up. No one else was on the ladder. "He was supposed to be right behind me! Where is he?" She started hyperventilating as she stared at the ladder, hoping Edward would appear. He didn't.

"What's going on? Where's Edward?" Where're Eva, Steven, and Savannah?" Rosalie asked, looking worried.

"I don't know!" Bella wailed. "They were supposed to follow me. Why are they still on the boat?"

Suddenly, something flew off the boat and into the air. It fell down and hit the water.

"What was that?" Cynthia asked, worried.

"It looked like a body," Bella said. "Did someone jump?"

"Or were they thrown?" Jasper asked. At that moment, a head emerged from the water, gasping.

"Edward!" Bella screamed, pointing at him. He swam over to the raft and climbed in shivering. I pulled one of the blankets out of the bags and handed it to Bella. She wrapped Edward in it and kissed his cheek.

"What happened?" Bella asked. "Why did you jump?"

"They came. The freighter people. I started climbing out, and they pulled me back in. They killed Savannah, and started beating Eva. Steven tried to stop them, but they beat him too. I got away and jumped off. I got this," he said, holding up some kind of remote.

"Is that—?" I asked.

He nodded. "We need to get as far away as we can before I press this button. There's a lot of C4 on that ship." Edward cut the rope connecting us to the ship.

Edward, Jasper, Mike, Emmett, and Seth each picked up an oar and began rowing furiously. The raft began moving away from the ship.

The more we moved, the smaller the ship looked.

Bella grabbed Edward's hand. "Do it."

He picked up the remote and pressed the button. Nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" I screeched. If that ship didn't blow, we were fucked.

"Hold on," he said, pressing it again. Still, noting happened.

"Maybe we need to be closer?" Bella suggested.

"No, that's not it. Maybe the wiring was wrong."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Jasper asked. "If you expect us to row away and hope they don't—"

He was cut off by a loud explosion in the background. Edward had pushed the remote again. This time, it worked.

The freighter was engulfed in orange flames and black smoke.

"Oh my god!" Rosalie screamed. "Oh my god!"

"Just keep rowing," Bella said, not tearing her eyes away from the wreckage. I was also looking at the remains of the ship.

Thick clouds of smoke were coming off it. I could see the flames darting into the air.

"Just go east," Edward muttered, still rowing. "Eva said we'd hit land eventually."

I leaned against Jasper as he rowed us away from the wreckage and towards rescue. I kept watching the burning ship.

The only thing on my mind was how much C4 it took to cause that amount of destruction. I shuddered at the thought.

At least we were safe, finally heading towards rescue.


	24. Chapter 23: Open Water

Chapter 23: Open Water

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, guys. They're what keeps me writing. Also, this will most likely be the last flashback/single character chapter. Now that they're off the island, I'm going to stop with that and have multiple POV's per chapter.**

APOV

"_Remind me again why we're going on this trip?" I said to Cynthia as Hank drove us to the airport._

"_Because you're going to college in the fall, and I won't ever see you, which means we can't do things like this," Cynthia said, exasperated._

"_Just because I'm going to college doesn't mean I won't see you," I told her._

"_Yes, it does. It's not like you're going to some UC school an hour away. You're going to Princeton, which is on the other side of the country. I need to take a six hour plane ride to see you, and we won't be in the same time zone anymore!"_

"_Cynthia—"_

"_You're going to meet all these cool college people and forget about your dumb little sister._

"_Hey, you're not dumb. Plus, I would never forget about you, okay? I'll call three times a week, and we'll get you a webcam so we can Skype."_

"_Really?" she said, smiling._

_I nodded. "Sure. I mean, I can't wait until Thanksgiving to see your face."_

"_Alice, I'm going to miss you so much," Cynthia said, throwing her arms around me._

"_Hey, I'm not leaving until August. It's only May. We have all summer to hang out, okay?"_

_She nodded, smiling._

"_But why Japan?" I asked her. "I mean, we could go anywhere, so why do you want to go to Japan? We can't lie out on the beach, and we don't even know the language."_

"_First, why would you want to lay out on the beach and tan? You're white as snow."_

"_Exactly. I could get a tan so I don't look albino anymore."_

_She ignored me and continued. "Second, why not Japan? We've been all over Europe and to the Caribbean, but we've never gone to Japan. It's time we broadened our horizons."_

"_What are we going to do in Japan?" I asked her. "If you think I'm going to sit around the hotel all day and—"_

"_When have I ever just 'sat around'? There's a lot to do in Japan. We can go see all the cool buildings and all the ancient stuff."_

"_I don't care about any of that stuff," I said._

"_Then we can go clubbing! Japan has awesome nightclubs. I think."_

"_No. You just turned 15. There is no way I'm taking you clubbing."_

"_Aww, come on!" Cynthia pleaded. "Please?"_

"_No. You're too young. Even I don't go clubbing."_

"_That's because you're boring."_

"_Wow, thanks Cynthia."_

"_No, I'm serious. You're afraid you're going to meet someone, fall in love, and then you'll forget all about Mark."_

"_That's not true," I mumbled._

"_Yes, it is. I hear you crying at night when you think everyone's asleep. You need to move on, Alice. He's gone, and he's never coming back."_

"_I know," I said to the ground. The truth was, she was right. I missed Mark every day. I couldn't move on. When Trent asked me out after prom, I said no. I felt like I was betraying Mark by even considering another guy._

"_Hey, guess who's in Japan this week too?" Cynthia said suddenly._

"_Who?"_

"_Jasper Whitlock."_

"_No."_

"_Yes."_

"_Seriously?"_

"_Yeah. He's here for the premiere of __Taken__."_

"_Oh my god!"_

"_Maybe you can find him, profess your love to him, and then finally move on."_

"_Yeah, sure. The day Jasper Whitlock tells me he loves me is the day pigs fly."_

********

"I can't believe we actually did it," I kept mumbling. I couldn't let go of the fact that we had just killed a bunch of people by blowing up a boat.

"Alice, we had to," Jasper said. "They were going to _kill_ us."

"But what about Eva, Steven, Savannah, and Carl?" I asked. "We killed them, too."

"They were already dead by the time the boat detonated," Edward whispered. "Carl never even made it down the elevator."

"What?" I asked. I didn't know this.

"Leo whacked him in the head with a bat. He didn't make it. He saved me instead of saving himself. Savannah took a bullet to the chest, and I'm pretty sure Eva and Steven were beaten to death by the guys on the freighter."

I let out a small sob. Jasper put his arm around me and I rested my head on his chest.

"It's just not fair," I said. "They did everything for us. The rescued us from the island, and then from the freighter, and we couldn't save them."

"They were truly good people," Rosalie said. "I know Eva and I never got along, but she was one of the kindest women I've ever met." Rosalie wiped a tear away from her eye.

"To Eva, Steven, Savannah, and Carl: Our heroes," Emmett said, holding up his bottle of water. We all followed suit, toasting to the memories of our saviors.

"Without them, we wouldn't be here today," I said before taking a drink. I stayed snuggled against Jasper's side as the raft floated in the water.

"Do you see anything yet?" I asked Emmett, who was looking out into the ocean.

"No. Nothing but open water."

"I thought they said we would hit land if we went east."

"Eventually. Eva never said how long we would be in the raft until we hit land," Edward said.

"But we've been in this raft for hours," Bella complained. "What if we never hit land, and we just starve to death in this raft? Then all they'll find are our bones!"

"I'm sure we'll hit land before that happens," Edward said, comforting her.

"I hope so," I muttered.

Jasper smiled and kissed the top of my head. I looked at my left hand. The temporary engagement ring was still there.

"Not having second thoughts, are you?" Jasper asked when he saw me staring at my hand.

I shook my head. "I've never been more certain about anything in my life. You do realize this will mean a huge wedding, right?"

He laughed. "As long as you're the one I'm marrying, I don't care. We can get married on a roller coaster, and I wouldn't care. Just as long as you're there with me."

I looked across the raft at Cynthia. She was sound asleep, with her head on Seth's shoulder. He was asleep too, his head on top of hers.

"I guess this means I'm going to need to meet your parents," he said.

"Yeah, probably. They're going to love you, though. They hated my other boyfriend, but that's probably because he was a drug addict I met in rehab."

He laughed. "Alice, you never fail to make me smile." He bent down and gave me a lingering kiss on my lips.

"Can we not have any of that while we're all sharing a small raft?" Emmett complained. "I'm already nauseous from the rocking."

I separated from Jasper and glared at Emmett. "Emmett, you're so immature."

"All part of my charm."

I rolled my eyes and rested my head on Jasper. "Rose, how do you put up with him?"

She looked at Emmett, who was sticking his tongue out at me. "Good question."

"I'm bored," Emmett said. "There's nothing to do on this raft. Can't we go swimming or something."

"Are you stupid or something?" Rose yelled at him. "We're out really deep. There could be sharks or other dangerous fish in the water. Do you _want_ to die just as we're about to be rescued?"

"No."

"Then shut up!"

Emmett put his arms around Rosalie, and she leaned back into his chest.

"What's going to happen once we get home?" I asked Jasper.

He thought for a moment. "Well, they'll probably have our families waiting for us once they bring us back to the states. Then, I'm guessing we'll have to have some kind of press conference so reporters can ask us questions. Then, we go on with our lives."

"Which means we get to plan our wedding," I said, nuzzling his neck.

I felt him smile. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear you say, 'our wedding.'"

I laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "Bella, Rosalie, Leah," I called to my three friends.

"Yeah?" Bella said.

"Will you guys be my bridesmaids when I get married?"

"Duh," Rosalie said, smiling.

"Of course, assuming you get married _after_ I have my baby," Leah said, touching her stomach lightly.

"Anything for you, Alice," Bella said sweetly.

"I never thought anything good could come out of this mess, but it has. I've found three of the best friends I'll ever have and the man I'm going to marry." I turned around and kissed Jasper on the cheek.

"Yeah, it's crazy how everything worked out this way," Bella said, resting her head on Edward's shoulder. "Although, I'm not exactly anticipating going back."

"Why not?" Rosalie asked.

"Well, before the crash, I was engaged to Jacob. When we first went public with our relationship, people said I was a gold-digging hussy who was only with Jacob for his money. Now, I'm with another wealthy guy only a few months after my fiancée was killed. Imagine what they're going to write about me now."

"Bella, you know the truth. Don't let things reporters write get to you. I know from experience."

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked me.

"Do you read the tabloids?"

"Well, I like glance at the titles at the grocery store, sure," she said.

"Do you recall me being on the cover a few years ago?"

"Oh yeah! Something about rehab."

"Yeah, I went to rehab, but reporters blew everything out of proportion. When my family wouldn't give them information, they went digging or made stuff up. Soon, people thought I was some pill-popping druggie who got trashed every weekend, when in reality, I was a scared, lonely 17-year old who was contemplating suicide."

"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked. "I thought you went to rehab for alcohol and drugs."

I held up my wrist, showing them my scar. "Nope. My parents sent me there for depression after I tried to kill myself in school."

"Oh my gosh, Alice!" Rosalie screeched.

"It's fine. It was years ago and I'm over it now, but I thought you all should know the truth. You guys are my best friends and I wanted you to know the truth."

Bella smiled at me. "Hey, it's totally normal to have a secret. Everyone has secrets they don't want everyone else to find out."

I nodded. She was right.

********

"_Oh my god Cynthia, he's on our plane!" I squealed to her as we took a seat in the waiting area at the airport._

"_So go talk to him," Cynthia said in a bored voice, not looking up from her book._

"_Yeah, that's a great idea. Me, the young virgin heiress go up and talk to the hot, sexy, and successful movie start. Yeah, that'll go over real well."_

"_Then stay here and mope. You have two options: either go up and talk to him, or stay here and shut up. Your choice."_

"_I never remember you being so grumpy," I said to her. Cynthia was acting like a bitch, and I didn't know why. "What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing," she snapped._

"_Cynthia, I've known you your whole life, so I can tell when something's bothering you. Is it school? Friends? A guy?" She looked up at me when I mentioned boys. "Who is it and what did he do?"_

_Cynthia was a very pretty girl with long, curly, black hair, so, naturally, lots of guys were attracted to her. She told me about all the boys who had asked her out, but she told me all the boys in Beverly Hills were stupid._

"_Well, I met this boy at the hotel last night, and we were hanging out."_

"_Was this when you were supposed to be watching a movie while I was out."_

"_Maybe," she said, smiling slyly._

"_I'm going to forget that you lied to me. Go on."_

"_So, he was really cute and we were talking about our lives at home, so I told him that I went to a private girl's school, and he thought that was interesting. And then I told him who I was and if he maybe wanted to do something later. And do you kno0w what he told me?"_

"_What?"_

"_He said, 'Oh, I don't date rich bitches.' HE CALLED ME A BITCH! I barely knew him, and he was passing judgment on me because of who my family is."_

"_Cynthia, you're going to deal with that daily. People make assumptions based on your background, and here's noting you can do to change that. Remember my experiences in high school? Remember the girls who made my life hell? You're going to experience that everywhere you go because of who you are. Don't let it affect you. You're better than that."_

_Cynthia gave me a warm smile. "Really?"_

"_You bet. Don't let some stupid boy ruin your day. Go out, do something, and show him you're too good for him."_

_Cynthia reached over and gave me a big hug._

"_So, are you going to talk to Jasper Whitlock?"_

"_Maybe once we land."_

********

"Guys," Edward said with a serious expression on his face, "we need to talk about the story we're going to give the press once we get back to the U.S."

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"I mean, we can't exactly tell these people we were on an island with a native group of people who killed the majority of the crash survivors. They'll think we're nuts."

"He's right," Bella said. "We need to come up with a story that's plausible."

"You think we should _lie_ about what happened these past months? About what happened to us?" I asked, outraged.

"Not lie," Edward said. "I just think we should be selective about what we do say. Like Eva and the other freighter people. Or Aro and the natives. Or blowing up the island."

"So what happened to the rest of the survivors who were _murdered_?" I asked.

"They died on the plane. We ten were the only ones who survived."

"But we're not even on the island anymore. How are we going to explain how we got a rescue raft and ventured to another island?" Jasper asked. "People are going to get suspicious if our story doesn't check out."

"Well, this is like the plane raft. We could say we used the rescue raft from the plane."

"And why did we decide to leave the island we were on?" Rosalie asked.

"Because it had been 98 days and we hadn't been rescued. We can say we saw something in the water and decided to try and get off the island."

"They're going to ask us what island we were on. None of us know where we were," Emmett said.

"And we'll tell them that. Listen, we can't go into Aro and the freighter. Eva said her boss told those men to kill us. If we go on TV and talk about that, he'll find us and finish the job. The only we can save ourselves is if we keep that part a secret."

"I'm not so sure about this, Edward…" I said, trailing off.

"You don't have to be sure. We just all have to stick together. We all have to agree, right now, that we're going to stick to the story that we were the only survivors." He looked at each of us. "We all have to promise to lie."

"I'll do it," Bella said, taking Edward's hand. Big surprise there.

"Okay, Edward. I'm in," Seth said.

"Me too," Cynthia added.

"I'm with you, bro," Emmett said, bumping Edward's fist.

"If Emmett's in, I'm in," Rosalie said tentatively.

"We're with you, Edward," Mike and Leah said.

"I'm not sure this is the best idea," I said.

"Alice, what other choice do we have?" Jasper said, turning to me. "If we do this, we can go and lead normal lives. We can leave this whole fiasco behind us."

I turned to Edward. "Okay, I'm in."

Jasper nodded at Edward. I leaned back against Jasper, closed my eyes, and drifted to sleep.

********

I was on the runway at Bryant Park, introducing my new fashion line, _Spiderwebs by Alice Brandon_. After my introduction, I went backstage to send the models out.

As my first model walked out, I felt a drop of water on my shoulder. I looked up, and was stunned to see it was raining in the building.

This was terrible. It couldn't be raining inside. Plus, the water would damage my clothes! I ran out on the runway, but slipped on a puddle of water.

I opened my eyes.

"Here, pass me a blanket!" Jasper was shouting at Edward.

I wasn't at Bryant Park. I was still on the raft in the middle of the ocean. And it was pouring.

I looked up in the sky just as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, making it seem like it was still daytime. Jasper grabbed the blanket and threw it over both our heads.

"What's going on, Jasper?" I asked him.

"It just started storming a few minutes ago. We need to find land soon, or we could be in a lot of trouble."

"How so?" I asked him. At that moment, the thunder crashed. I wrapped my arms around Jasper and pulled him close to me.

"The storm is causing the ocean to become rough, in case you can't tell. We're rocking a lot, and it's only getting worse. If the storm gets worse, we could end up with the raft destroyed and us floating in the water."

Just then, a wave knocked into the raft. Everyone was thrown around, and I ended up with Emmett on my ankle.

"Oww!" I screamed. "Emmett, you're crushing my ankle!" He pushed himself off me and crawled over to the side of the raft. Jasper pulled me into his arms to comfort me while I sobbed from the pain.

"Let me see it," he murmured. I held my ankle up for him to see.

"Is it broken?"

"I don't know. It's swollen, though. I don't think you're going to be able to walk on it." I sighed and leaned against his chest.

The whole night, the wind was howling, the sky was thundering, and the waves were crashing into us. As the sun started to break, the rain eased up and the waves calmed down.

"Is it…over?" I asked tentatively, not wanting to cause the storm to start up again.

"I think so," Edward said.

"Guys, look!" Rosalie shrieked, pointing out into the ocean. We all turned around and gasped.

A little over a mile away was an island.

"Is that—is it really—" I stuttered, unable to form coherent sentences.

"Yes, it is!" Bella shouted, leaping onto Edward's lap and kissing him on the lips.

"Oh my god! Jasper, we're going to be rescued!" I screamed, throwing my arms around him. He responded by taking my face in his hands and pulling it to his lips.

When I finally broke away for air, I saw we were getting closer to the island.

The ten of us stayed in the raft as it drifted closer and closer to land. Suddenly, the raft hit something. Emmett, Edward, Jasper, and Mike hopped out into the water. It was shallow enough for them to stand. They each grabbed the raft and started towing us to shore.

Seth then got out and started helping them. We were now only about 300 yards away.

The guys kept pulling until the raft was on the beach. Bella, Rosalie, Cynthia, and Leah got out. I tried to get up, but fell when my ankle gave out.

"Jasper," I called. He bent down, and lifted me into his arms. We all walked onto the beach. Off in the distance, I saw a group of kids playing in the water. A woman was standing on the beach, watching them, in front of a wooden shack. It reminded me of our time on the island.

A tan-skinned man with long dark hair in brown pants and no shirt came running up to us.

"Tama liki lomo supi wala liki?" he asked us in an unfamiliar language.

"Uh, what?" Edward said, looking at him confused.

"Mililani!" he shouted. A woman emerged from one of the huts. She had copper skin, long, shiny black hair, and was wearing a long dress.

"Kumasi, karri muso faragha?" she asked the man. He pointed to us.

"Apo talaga languor," he told her.

She turned to face us. "Hello, I am Mililani," she said in perfect English. "Who are you?"

"I'm Edward Cullen. This is Isabella Swan, Rosalie Hale, Emmett Cullen, Michael Newton, Leah and Seth Clearwater, Alice and Cynthia Brandon, and Jasper Whitlock. We are the survivors of Japan Airlines flight 2232."


	25. Chapter 24: The Landing Party

Chapter 24: The Landing Party

**AN: Thanks to all my reviewers. You guys are amazing. I'm sorry I don't respond to you to thank you for your reviews. Instead, I work on the next chapter. I think that's a better way to thank you. Oh, and don't worry…the drama is FAR from over ******

EPOV

Bella let out a sigh and her head dropped onto my shoulder. I looked at her and saw she had fallen asleep. The gentle vibrations of the Coast Guard jet were very relaxing. I looked over and saw Alice with her head on Jasper's shoulder. He had his arm wrapped around her waist.

I looked down at the clothes I was wearing. I had on a white cotton shirt and khaki pants. The people on the island we had arrived at had allowed us to shower in their homes. They also gave us clothes to change into. We had stayed with them until the jet arrived to bring us back home.

I looked down at Bella. She was in a long dress with a floral print. Her hair smelled like coconut. She moved her head, but stayed asleep.

I heard footsteps. I looked up, and saw Amaya Tanaka, the PR rep for Japan Airlines, walking back to where we were all sitting. She down at us: Bella, Cynthia, and Seth were all sleeping. Alice, who had her head on Jasper's shoulder, was staring at something in front of her, not saying anything. Rosalie and Emmett were talking quietly while Mike had his arms wrapped around Leah.

"Hi, I just wanted to let you know we're going to be landing soon. It's a Coast Guard base in San Diego. All you're families are there, waiting, but the facility is private. Also, once the press found out about you being alive, they want to speak with you, but as far as Japan Airlines is concerned, you don't have to do anything."

I looked over at Jasper, and he gave me a small nod.

"No, it's fine. We'll talk to them."

She looked around at everyone else. "Is that alright with everyone?"

"It's fine, we've all agreed. We just want this whole ordeal to be over with. We want to get back to our lives."

She nodded, and started walking back to the front with the pilots. She must have remembered something, because she turned back to us. "By the way, they're calling you the JAL Ten. It's not the greatest name, but the press seems to like it." She went and rejoined the captains.

"Everyone remembers the plan?" I asked them quietly. "Answer only the questions you want to answer. If they ask you something you don't want to answer, or can't answer, don't say anything. They'll think you're in shock."

"We _are_ in shock, Edward," Alice said quietly, still staring.

"Well, then we won't have to convince them about that."

I felt the plane start to descend, so I gently shook Bella. She opened her eyes and stared at me.

"We're landing," I whispered to her. Her eyes opened wide and she sat up.

"Where are we landing?" she asked.

"A Coast Guard base in San Diego. Our families are waiting for us there. Well, the members you put on the list."

Before we left, Amaya asked each of us for a list of family members they were going to contact. They were going to bring them to the landing site for when we got back to the U.S.

"That means my dad will be there!" she said, smiling. The cabin gave a lurch as the jet touched the ground. It came screeching to a stop. I looked over at Alice, and saw she had been gripping Jasper's hand tightly the entire time we were landing.

"You okay, Alice?" Bella asked, looking worried.

"Just not a fan of flying anymore," she said, trying to crack a smile.

"I don't know if I'll ever get on a plane again," Rosalie said, shivering.

The back of the plane opened up, and several Coast Guards connected a ramp to the back. I looked out and saw a bunch of people standing there, craning their heads to try to see inside the cargo hold. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood up. Everyone else followed suit.

I started walking down the ramp when I spotted my parents. Esme and Carlisle were standing with a group of other people.

"Oh my god, Edward," my mother sobbed. I ran to her and she threw her arms around my neck.

"Mom, I missed you so much," I said as she held on to me tightly.

"Mom!" I heard Emmett call. Esme let go of me and ran to Emmett, tears coming out of her eyes. Emmett pulled her into a bear hug as my father and I quietly hugged.

********

BPOV

"Charlie!" I shrieked when I walked off the jet and saw my dad standing there.

"Bells, is that really you?" he said as I launched myself into his arms. He picked me up and gave me one of his Charlie hugs. I had missed them so much. He set me down and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Dad, I can't believe it's really you," I sobbed into his shoulder.

"I can't believe you're alive," he choked out, fighting back his tears. Charlie was never one to cry, but even he couldn't help expressing his emotions now. He looked at me again.

"You're looking a little skinny, Bell," he said disapprovingly.

"Charlie, I've been living on an island for the past three months. I haven't had a descent meal since before the crash. Cut me some slack."

"I missed you kid. You and your sarcasm." I smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek.

********

APOV

I hopped out of the jet, supported by Jasper. He offered to carry me, but I didn't want my parents to see me for the first time after three months being carried by some guy they had never met before. My mom would probably freak out.

"Mommy!" Cynthia squealed, running out of the jet into our mother's arms. I saw my mom was crying.

I was hopping over to my parents since I couldn't put any weight on my ankle when my dad came running up to me. He scooped me up in his arms and gave me a big kiss on the cheek.

"Ali!" he said, hugging me. "Oh Alice, I can't believe it's really you!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and didn't let go. Then, I started crying.

I thought I was never going to see my parents again, yet here they both were, acting like they never thought they were going to see _me_ again.

Cynthia and my mom came over. Cynthia wrapped her arms around my dad while I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek.

I looked over and saw Jasper standing by himself, no family there to greet him.

"Jasper!" I called out. He looked at me and I motioned for him to join us.

"Mom, Dad, this is Jasper Whitlock. He's part of the reason I'm still alive."

"Oh, thank you!" my mother sobbed, throwing her arms around Jasper. "Thank you for keeping my girls safe." He looked shocked at first, but then returned my mother's hug.

"Aren't your parents here?" my dad asked him.

"No, sir. They died when I was a kid."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You have two wonderful daughters, Mr. and Mrs. Brandon," Jasper told my parents. They both beamed at him.

I was so happy to see my parents liked him. When I eventually would tell them we're engaged, I'm sure they would be thrilled.

********

RPOV

"Ohmigod, Rosalie!" Kendra and Bridgette shrieked when I got off the plane. Since I hadn't spoken to my family in years, I put down my closest friends on the list of family. Kendra and Bridgette were like my sisters since we had been living together for the past three years.

The two of them came over and pulled me into their arms.

"I can't believe it's really you!" Kendra screamed in my ear.

"I'm right next to you, Kendra. You don't need to shout," I said laughing.

"Ohmigod, when that girl Amaya called the house this morning, it was like Johnny Depp had just walked in the mansion. We all thought you were dead since the beginning of June," Bridgette sobbed.

I looked around. "Where's Hef?" I asked.

"Back at the mansion. We haven't touched your room since you've been gone. It was kind of like a 'memorial' to you or whatever. It's just as messy as it was when you left it," Kendra laughed.

"Excuse me; you're calling _my_ room messy?"

"Well, mine isn't anymore. My mom and I cleaned it all up."

I looked at her, confused.

"I'm moving out."

"Why?" I gasped. Kendra was like my little sister. I had missed so much while I was away.

"I met someone, so I'm moving on. I bought a house, and I'm moving out next week."

When she mentioned meeting someone, I thought of Emmett. I peeked over my shoulder, and saw him standing with his parents. He was giving his mom a big kiss. I smiled when I saw that.

"Speaking of meeting someone, tell us who he is!" Bridgette squealed.

"What are you talking about?" I said, trying to act coy.

"Oh, don't treat us like we're stupid!" Kendra said, offended. "I've known you for a long time, and I've never seen you smile after looking at some guy, not even with Hef. So spill. Who's the guy who captured Heart Breaker Rose's heart?"

I looked back to Emmett, smiled, and turned to Kendra.

********

LPOV

Seth and I walked out of the jet and saw everyone greet their families.

Seth and I had none. Our adoptive parents had perished in the crash, and we hadn't spoken to our birth parents since child services had taken us from them.

I looked over at Edward and Emmett talking with their parents, and my heart began to ache.

I looked over at Seth, and saw the sad expression on his face.

"Hey, don't be sad," I said to him, trying to cheer him up. "Mom and Dad wouldn't want us to be sad. They'd want us to be happy, to be with our friends." I knew I was speaking the truth. Dad had always told us that when he died, he wanted people cracking jokes, not crying.

Seth smiled at me. "You're right. Dad said a joke always made everything better." He gave me a big hug.

"At least I still have you, Seth."

I looked over and saw Mike with his parents. He looked over at me and Seth, standing there with no family members to greet us, and walked over to us.

"Mom, Dad, this is Leah Clearwater and her younger brother Seth. This is the girl I was telling you about." I felt my cheeks start to redden. What had Mike told them about us?

"Oh, Leah, it's very nice to meet you. Michael was just telling us all about the wonderful girl he met on the island." She beamed at me.

I looked over at Mike and smiled.

"Your son is quite incredible himself."

I looked over at Mike with questioning eyes. Had he told him mom he'd knocked me up? He slightly shook his head no.

"Where are your parents?" Mike's dad asked.

"Our parents were on the plane with us," Seth said quietly.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for your loss," Mrs. Newton said, giving me a hug. "But don't you have any other family?"

"Seth is my only family now," I said softly, giving Seth's shoulder a squeeze.

"Well, at least you have each other."

********

EmPOV

I was the last one out of the jet. I saw Rose leave and go to her friends. I didn't see any of her family.

She never talked about her family when we were together. The only thing I knew was that she had been married, but her husband had died. Any time I asked her about her family, she clammed up.

I walked down the ramp and saw Edward with our parents. He was giving Esme a hug while Carlisle stood to his left.

"Mom!" I called out, running off the jet, straight to Esme. She ran to me with tears in her eyes. I pulled her into one of my bone-crushing hugs.

"Oh, Emmett! I'm so happy it's you!" she sobbed. "These past months…I just couldn't…oh, both my sons are alive!"

"Mom, it's okay. Me and Edward are here. We're not going anywhere, I promise."

She grabbed my face and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "You better not!"

I put her down and walked over to my father, who was conversing with Edward.

"…but do you think I'll be able to resume my residency?" Edward was asking.

"I don't know, son. I'll have to see."

"Carlisle!" I said, throwing my arms around my father.

"I see you're still as exuberant as always, Emmett," my father commented, smiling.

"I missed your criticisms, Carlisle," I said to him. "Can you believe I went a whole _three months_ without you insulting me?" He laughed and gave me a hug.

"How's everyone else?" Edward asked.

"Good. Tanya's been hanging around the house. She's been keeping up the search for you the entire time you were missing. Why didn't you have her some to greet you, Edward? She _is_ your wife!" Esme scolded.

Edward looked at the ground, not saying anything.

"We thought this was a moment that should be shared between parents and kids. Why involve spouses?"

"You mean 'spouse'," my mother corrected. "Last time I checked, you were unmarried." I grinned sheepishly.

"You know me, the eternal bachelor."

"Yeah. The day you get married is the day the Eagles win the Super Bowl."

********

EPOV

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist. It felt nice to finally take a shower in an actual shower after three months. The people from Japan Airlines had given us and our families rooms at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. Tomorrow, we were having a press conference with all the members of the media to talk about what happened to us. Apparently, we were the biggest news story since Heath Ledger died.

I heard a knock at the door. I sighed. Emmett probably forgot his key when he went to go see Rosalie. Typical Emmett.

I opened the door, but instead of Emmett standing there, Bella was standing there. She smiled when she saw me, and I pulled her into the room.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her. I hadn't talked to her since we got off the plane.

"Well, I realized it had been way too long since I saw you, and I missed you. Plus, do you honestly expect me to sleep by myself after I spent more than three months sharing a mat with you?" She stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine.

She looked down and saw I was only wearing a towel.

"You already showered?" she pouted.

"So?"

"Well, I still need to shower," she said seductively. She trailed her hands down to my waist and pulled at the towel. I saw it fall to the floor before she leaped into my arms and wrapped her legs around my waist. She kicked her shoes off as I walked to the bathroom with her in my arms. She kept kissing my neck as I turned the water on and we both got in.

***

"Wake up, baby," Bella whispered in my ear.

"Five more minutes," I groaned. I rolled over in the bed and threw a pillow over my head.

"Mr. Edward Cullen, get your ass out of bed," Bella ordered. I didn't answer her. All of a sudden, I felt like an extra 100 pounds was on top of me. I looked up and saw Bella sitting on my chest. She leaned her head down and kissed me. "C'mon, you need to get dressed. We have to be downstairs in like 10 minutes."

"Alright, alright, I'm up," I said, gently pushing her off me. I walked over to the suitcase Esme brought for me and pulled out a pair of boxers, jeans, a white beater, and a short-sleeved blue button-up shirt.

I got dressed while Bella stood in the room, looking at me impatiently. She, of course, was already dressed. She had on a pair of black pants, a light gray tank top with a black jacket, a long gold necklace, and black pumps. **(Bella's outfit in profile.)**

"You look beautiful," I said, giving her a kiss, after I was dressed.

"Okay, let's go," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room. The two of us made our way down to the Crown Room at the hotel. When we walked in, the rest of our group was already there, sitting at the table, waiting for us.

"Finally," Rosalie muttered. Bella smiled at her.

"Edward needed a little motivation to get out of bed," she said, smirking at me. I pulled her close to me and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"If you two will take your seats, we can bring the press in. They're getting a little impatient," Amaya said, walking up to us. Bella and I took our seats at the table in the stage. I was in between Emmett and Bella. She grabbed my hand underneath the table.

Amaya walked to the doors and opened them. Hundreds of reporters walked in with cameras, microphones, and notepads. Our families were there too. They were seated in the front row. All of the reporters and cameramen took seats in the other rows. Every seat was filled.

Amaya walked up to a podium on the stage and faced the crowd. "I'd like to welcome you all to the Crown Room at the Hotel Del Coronado. Yesterday, August 29, 2008, ten people were rescued after the whole world believed them to be dead. On May 21, 2008, Japan Airlines flight 2232 crashed in the Pacific Ocean. The plane wreckage was found on June 1, along with 104 bodies of passengers. These ten people survived the crash. It is believed they were living on an uncharted island far from the crash site. On day 98, they heard something in the background. Believing rescue was close, they left the island on the airplane raft they had. They eventually drifted to a small island off the coast of the Philippines. They were discovered by local inhabitants. When it was discovered who they were, the Coast Guard was called and the survivors were brought to an air base in San Diego yesterday.

Now, this entire ordeal has been very trying and traumatic for the survivors, but they have agreed to answer some questions. I give you the survivors of Japan Airlines flight 2232."

At once, reporters began shouting our names.

"Dr. Cullen! Dr. Cullen!" a reported shouted standing up. "What was the crash like? How were you able to survive when so many others perished?"

I leaned forward into the microphone in front of me and began to speak. "Uh, the crash was terrifying. It's something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I remember the plane hitting the ocean and filling up with water. I acted quickly. I was seated right by Miss Swan, so I pulled her out of the plane through the emergency exit before the entire cabin filled with water. We saw the emergency raft floating and got in it. We were joined by the rest of the survivors. We floated in the water for about a day before we ended up on the island."

"Mr. Whitlock!" another reporter asked, standing up. "Why do you think only half of the plane was found?"

"Probably because the plane broke apart when it was crashing. The plane split apart. Sadly, the back half exploded and everyone, including Miss and Mr. Clearwater's parents." Jasper looked over at Seth and Leah and gave them a reassuring smile.

"Miss Clearwater! What was it like living on the island?"

"It was tough," Leah answered. "We had to find everything and make everything ourselves. We were sleeping on mats made of leaves and eating fish and crabs we caught ourselves with tools we made ourselves."

"Miss Swan! You and your fiancée, Jacob Black, were both on the plane. What happened to him?"

"He died," Bella said softly, looking down.

"Was he—?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I really don't want to answer any questions about Jacob," Bella said, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. The reporter sat down.

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She turned her face towards mine and gave me a small smile.

********

BPOV

God, why did they have to ask about Jacob? I was glad nobody except the other survivors knew Edward and I were together, or the reporters would be questioning us nonstop about that.

I really just wanted to kiss him now, but I restrained myself. The reporters were still questioning us. I wanted it to end so Edward and I could go back to the room and continue where we left off last night.

"Ms. Hale! What was it like seeing your family after three months apart?"

"I wouldn't know," Rosalie said with fake sweetness. "I haven't spoken to my family since I left Rochester four years ago."

"Why not?"

"That's my business."

"Does it have to do with the death of your husband, Royce King III?"

"I'd prefer not to discuss my personal life," Rosalie said stiffly.

Wait, what?

Rosalie was _married_?

How did I not know this? She never mentioned the fact that she had been married or that her husband had died.

"Miss Brandon!"

"Which one?" Alice asked.

"Alice. Alice Brandon. Why was Mr. Whitlock carrying you in the photo taken by the fisherman?"

"I hurt my ankle. On the raft, we hit a storm. A huge wave crashed into us and it got crushed when someone fell on top of it."

"Are you and Mr. Whitlock currently involved?"

"I don't believe that's anyone's business but my own."

"Miss Swan! Now that your fiancée is dead, are you planning on returning to work as a stripper?"

All the other survivors turned to look at me. Right, I never told them I worked at a strip club.

"I was never a stripper, I was a waitress. And I don't know. Maybe I'll go back to school instead."

"But you're from a trailer park. How do you plan on financing an education?"

"Miss Swan's financial situation is not up for discussion," Amaya said to the reporter. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Cullen! What does it feel like to be back?"

"It's great. It was nice to finally sleep in a bed last night, even if it wasn't mine."

"Yes, you shared with Ms. Hale last night."

"Excuse me?"

"There's a photo of you going into her room last night. Ms. Hale, how does your boyfriend, Hugh Hefner, feel about you spending the night with another man?"

Rosalie looked uncomfortable. "Well, just because we spent the night together doesn't mean we're together. For the past three months, we've been used to sharing mats with others. I was lonely, so I called Emmett to come and hang out. We fell asleep."

"Yes, but—"

"Look, I'm not answering questions about my personal life, so drop it."

"Mr. Newton! Your rescue is truly amazing. Since all of you were found alive, don't you think it's possible that there are other survivors out there?"

"No. Absolutely not."

"But suppose—"

"It's impossible. We were the only people to escape the plane. Everyone else died during the crash."

"But there were only about 100 bodies found. What about the others?"

"Well, there are ten of us. Also, at least half of the people were on the part of the plane that exploded. I suppose they'll never find those bodies."

"Dr. Cullen! Are you excited to see your wife after three months apart?"

My mouth dropped open. Did she say _wife_? As in, Edward's _married_?

"It will be an interesting meeting," Edward said. He gave my hand another squeeze.

I ripped my hand out of his.

My boyfriend's married?


	26. Chapter 25: Sorry Isn't Good Enough

Chapter 25: Sorry Isn't Good Enough

**AN: Thanks again to my reviewers. Just a note: Edward really isn't a jerk. In his opinion, his marriage with Tanya was over—he had filed for divorce before he left for Japan—so he didn't see it as wrong to start a relationship with Bella. It was bad judgment on his part, but he wasn't trying to start a new relationship with someone while he was still in love with someone else.**

BPOV

After the press conference was over, I ran out of the room as fast as I could and got in the elevator. I ran down the hall to my room and slammed the door behind me. Then, I fell to pieces.

How could he? How could he lie to me like that? I trusted him! I _loved_ him! And the whole time, he was lying to me.

I heard a knock on the door.

"Go away," I cried.

"Bella, it's me," Rosalie's soft voice floated through the door. I got up off the floor and opened the door.

Rosalie, Leah, and Alice were standing there, looking concerned. Alice threw her crutches down and threw her arms around me instead.

"Bella, it's going to be okay," Alice said, hugging me. "I'm sure there's some kind of explanation." She let go of me and hopped over to the bed. I sat down next to her. Leah and Rosalie joined us.

"I just can't believe he did this!" Leah said. "How could he lie to you like that?"

"I'm going to castrate that bastard," Rosalie muttered. "He promised me he was going to tell you."

"YOU KNEW?" I screamed at her.

"I found out when we were in that room with the files at the native's camp. It said he was married in his file. I thought I should get the story from him before I made any rash decisions. He told me, and then I told him to tell you before you found out on your own. But I guess that bastard didn't."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" I said, wiping away my tears.

"I knew it would hurt you. I thought it would be better if he told you himself so he could give you the whole story. I'm sorry, Bella," Rosalie said, putting her arms around me.

"Maybe you should here him out," Leah suggested.

"I don't care. I don't want to hear anything he has to say. He _lied_ to me! He told me he loved me, and he obviously doesn't. He loves his wife." I curled up into a ball on the bed and continued sobbing.

We heard another knock at the door.

"I'll go see who it is," Rosalie said. "If it's Edward…," she growled.

"Maybe _I_ better get it," Leah suggested. "I don't think the hotel would appreciate you murdering someone in one of their rooms." She walked over and answered the door.

It wasn't Edward. It was Jasper.

"Hey, Bella," he said warmly. "I just came to check and see how you were doing."

"How do you _think_ I'm doing?" I snapped at Jasper as another round of tears came on. "I found out my boyfriend has a wife and I'm an adulterous whore. Best day of my life."

"Bella, you're not a whore. If anyone's a whore, it's Edward. He was married, yet he still began a relationship with you." He sat by me on the bed and began rubbing my back while I cried into the pillow.

"Why are all the guys I date jerks? Tyler ditched me when he found out he knocked me up, Mario was a druggie, Derek cheated on me with my best friend, Will hit me because he thought _I_ was cheating on him, and then Edward's married."

"What about Jacob?" Leah asked quietly.

"He was the only decent one. And look what happened to him! He took a piece of scrap metal to the head." I buried my face in the pillow again and continued crying.

"C'mon, Bella. You can't stay in this room all day and mope," Alice said. "You can't let some guy get you down. Why don't you come and stay at my place? Cynthia would love it, and so would my parents."

"I just want to go home," I said sadly. "I just want to forget all about Edward. I want to go back with my dad and forget all about this mess." I sat up and wiped my tears away. "You guys can come and visit me in my trailer if you're ever in Washington."

I got up off the bed and threw all my clothes in my suitcase. The only thing I was missing was my pink tank top. The last time I was wearing it was…last night. That brought on a fresh wave of tears as I remembered my last night with Edward.

Well, I wasn't going to face him just to get some shirt back. He could mail it to me. I zipped up my suitcase and stood up.

"Bella, stay for one more day," Rosalie pleaded. "You can stay with me at the mansion. Emmett's not going to be there and I'm going to be lonely. Please?"

"Rose, I just want to go home."

"Well, why don't you stay with me and Seth instead?" Leah suggested. "It's just going to be us at home. Besides, we live in Seattle, so it's not that far from you."

"Thanks for the offer, Leah, but I'm just going to spend some time with my dad now. I haven't spent time with him in a long time." I opened the door, and Edward was standing there.

********

EPOV

I'm a fucking idiot. Seriously, I am.

Why didn't I just tell her when I had the chance? Instead, I act like a coward and don't tell her. Instead, I wait for some fucking _reporter_ to tell her at the press conference and watch her heart break.

I'm an ass.

I have to fix it. I started walking up the stairs to Bella's room, but instead I chickened out and went and sat in the lobby.

"Hey, little bro," Emmett said, sitting next to me.

"Why am I fucking idiot?" I asked him. "Why didn't I just tell her the truth before I got involved with her? Why did I give her a choice?"

"Because you're a selfish prick."

"Thanks Emmett. Thanks a lot."

"Hey, you can fix this. Go up there and tell her the truth about you and Tanya. Tell her how you filed for divorce before you ever met her. Maybe she'll understand."

"Or maybe she won't and will still think I'm a disgusting adulterous pig."

"But she might not. You have to have faith, brother."

"You know, you really get on my nerves sometimes, Emmett." He gave me one of his shit-eating grins. "Anyways, how do you feel about Rose being married before?"

"Oh, I already knew that. She told me when we first met."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Not everyone's a douchebag like you."

I groaned and put my head in my hands.

"Chill out, Edward. It'll all work out in the end."

"How do you know?" I asked, letting the sarcasm seep into my voice.

"I just know these things. And you and Bella are meant for each other. It will work out in the end, I promise."

"Alright, I'm going up to see her."

"You're going to have an audience."

"What do you mean?"

"Whitlock and the girls are up there, comforting her after you turned out to be the world's biggest asshole."

"Great."

"Don't worry. Just go up there and tell your girl the truth."

"Hopefully she'll still want to be my girl," I said miserably.

I got in the elevator and took it up to Bella's floor. I walked up to her door and was about to knock when the door flew open.

Bella was standing there with her suitcase. She was leaving.

Fuck.

She wouldn't even look at me. She kept her eyes on the ground and tried to move past me, but I grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Don't TOUCH me!" she shrieked. I pulled my hand away like I had been electrocuted. I was dead to her.

"Bella, can I talk to you?" I asked quietly.

"No," she said, staring at me with hate in her eyes. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. Because if I do, I might be an idiot and believe you."

"Bella—"

"Edward, just go away. You've hurt me enough for one day. Actually, you've hurt me enough for one lifetime. Why don't you let me return to my life? You know, the one where I never _met_ you!" she screamed in my face.

"Bella, if I could just explain—"

"I don't _care_ what you have to say," she spat at me. "I don't care if you came to apologize for lying to me. Sorry isn't good enough, Edward. You were on that island with me for almost 100 days, and you were lying to me the whole time! How can I ever believe anything you ever tell me?" She started crying.

Great. I really am the world's biggest dick. I just made the girl I love cry.

She went on. "How can I believe anything you ever told me? You probably didn't even love me!" She wiped her eyes, but the tears continued to fall from her eyes. "And you come up here, expecting to explain to me how you became the biggest asshole I ever met and expect things to be okay? Well fuck you! Fuck you, Edward!"

She pushed past me and wheeled her suitcase to the elevator.

And like an idiot, I stood there.

I didn't go after her. I didn't grab her and make her hear me out. I just let her go.

********

BPOV

Once I made my escape to the elevator, I really started crying.

Just seeing there made me realize how much I truly loved him. And how he would never be mine.

Because he was someone else's.

I wiped my tears away as I walked into the lobby. I saw Charlie standing by the doors, waiting for me.

"Ready to do, kiddo?"

"Yeah. Let's get out of here."

"Bells, are you okay? You look kind of glum."

"I'm fine, Charlie. I just want to go home."

He shrugged his shoulders, but he took my suitcase and put it in the trunk of the taxi. I got in and looked out the window, where all my fellow survivors were standing to wave me goodbye.

All but one.

Coward.

The taxi drove us to the San Diego International Airport.

"Uh, Charlie?" I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

"Yeah?"

"Do we really have to fly?"

"Bella, it'll take us a full day of driving to get back to Forks."

"Dad, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can get on a plane. I just…can't."

He looked at me. "Okay, Bella. I'll go rent a car."

20 minutes later, Charlie and I were driving back to Forks in an old Toyota Camry.

"I'm sorry about this, Charlie, but I just don't think I could get on a plane. Not so soon after the accident."

"It's okay, Bella. I just wasn't thinking. I should have known you wouldn't want to fly." He gave me a smile and went back to driving. I tilted my seat back and closed my eyes. I just wanted to fall asleep to I wouldn't have to think about Edward anymore.

***

_Suddenly, Edward's arms were around me. "Don't worry, Bella. He'll never hurt you again. He can't hurt you again. I'll keep you safe, I promise."_

"_Oh, Edward!" I wrapped both my arms around his neck, ignoring the pain in my injured arm when I did this. I crushed my lips to his, unable to help myself._

_I was prepared to pull back, embarrassed with my emotional outburst, but Edward's lips were moving with mine, unspoken desire passing between them._

_Our lips moved in perfect rhythm. The only thought that passed through my mind was how I never wanted Edward to stop._

_He moved his lips from mine and pressed them to my neck, sucking at the hollow of my throat._

"_Oh my god!" I gasped. I had never experienced so much pleasure from kissing in my life._

_His hands trailed up and down my bare back, making circles around my shoulder blades._

_The blanket was still wrapped around me. I had a sudden desire to rip it away, exposing myself completely to him. Before I had a chance to act on that thought, Edward pulled away._

"_I'm sorry," he said._

"_What are you apologizing for?" I asked. "I'm the one who attacked you." I felt my face go bright red._

"_It's not appropriate to start making out with someone when you're trying to give them stitches. Not that I didn't enjoy that." He gave me a big smile._

_I smiled back at him. "Well, I'm with you there, buddy."_

_He grabbed my hand and held it in his. He continued to stitch my wounds with his free hand. I was shocked to see he was able to perform perfect stitches with only one hand. What had I done to deserve someone like him?_

"_There," he said. "All done."_

"_Wow, thanks. I've never had a more enjoyable visit to the doctor," I joked._

_I leaned toward him and planted a kiss on his lips. _

_He wrapped his arm around my waist, preventing me from pulling away. I didn't object._

_I felt Edward's tongue against my lips, so I parted mine to allow him access. I felt his tongue enter my mouth and make contact with mine._

_Our tongues moved together perfectly._

_He laid me on the ground, not breaking our kiss, and knelt over me, bringing my arms over my head._

_His hands moved from my wrists to my neck, but they didn't stop there._

_They kept trailing down until they reached my breasts, still covered by the blanket._

_He yanked on the blanket, pulling it down and exposing me. His massive hands instantly covered my breasts and I had to fight everything in me to keep from screaming out in pleasure._

_I wrapped my arms around his neck as he kept palming my tits._

_His lips moved to my neck, trailing kisses down my throat._

_His nose brushed the length of my throat, then he was nibbling at my ear._

_I let out an involuntary shiver, and I felt him smile into my throat._

"_Oh, Edward."_

"_Oh, Bella."_

I opened my eyes and felt the tears pouring down my face. Apparently, sleeping wasn't going to help me forget Edward either.

Why did he have to be such a jerk? Why did he have to be a liar? Why couldn't he be a good guy?

I knew it had to be too good to be true. He was smart, funny, successful, and gorgeous. There had to be a flaw.

And there was.

He was married. He had a wife. Who he cheated on. With me.

I curled up into a ball and closed my eyes again.

***

The next morning, we arrived back in Forks. I saw the familiar "Welcome to Forks" sign greet us as we drove into town.

We drove past the diner on the corner and the sporting goods store on Main Street. I was ready to see the familiar trailer park where I had lived my whole life, but we turned onto an unfamiliar street instead.

"Uh, Charlie? Where are we going?"

"I got rid of the trailer after your plane disappeared and got this house instead. I just couldn't stat at that trailer anymore. Everything in it reminded me of you." He pulled into the driveway of a small house. "There's an empty room upstairs with all your stuff in it. I kept it just in case." He gave me a smile.

Charlie brought my suitcase inside. The house was actually really nice. It was small, but comfy. I saw the answering machine was blinking, so I pressed the "play" button.

"Hey Bella, it's Alice! Just calling to make sure you're okay. Call me! I miss you!"

"Bella, it's Rose. PLEASE call me when you get a chance. I miss you already!"

"Hey, it's Leah. Give me a ring when you get a chance and maybe we can get together next weekend if you feel like driving to Seattle. If not, maybe Seth and I could visit you in Forks? I miss you tons!"

"Jasper here. Just checking on you. Also, I wanted to invite you to the LA premiere of Taken. Call me back."

"It's Mike. I just wanted to see how you are. I'm visiting Leah this weekend, so maybe you want to hang out with us? Talk to you later, gator!"

"Hey Bella, Emmett here. Call me when you get a chance. It's kind of important."

"Bella," Edward's voice said. I hit the delete button. I didn't want to have to listen to him.

"Who were they?" my dad asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Oh, just my friends from the plane. They were all just checking on me. I'm going to give them a call back, okay?"

"Sure, sure, I get it," Charlie said, leaving the room.

I called Alice first.

"Bella!" Alice screeched into the phone. "Oh my god, it's you! I miss you already! So, how is everything? How's your trailer? Have you seen any of your old friends?"

"Alice, calm down!" I said when she finally took a break to breath. "Everything's fine. My dad actually sold the trailer and bought a house!"

"Wow, that's awesome!"

"Yeah. And I just got home since I was a big enough chicken to make my dad drive home." She laughed. "But I miss you too. We should try and get together some time soon."

"Are you going to Jasper's movie premiere? He told me he was going to invite you."

"I don't know," I sighed. "I don't want to impose."

"Bella, you have to come! Everyone's going to be there!"

"_Everyone_?"

"You can stay with me all night. You won't even have to see him."

"Well…okay. I'll come."

"Yay! Okay, I'm going to call Jasper and tell him you're coming! I'll have him call you to give you all the info. Bye, love ya!"

I hung up the phone and smiled to myself. I really missed Alice.

I called Rose next.

"Finally you call," Rosalie sighed into the phone. "I was starting to think you were kidnapped or something."

"Sorry, but I don't live as close to San Diego as you do. Plus, we drove back."

"So did I."

"Yes, but I live in Washington."

"Oh, right."

"So, what's it like being back at the Playboy mansion?"

"Miserable. I miss Emmett. And everyone else. But mostly Emmett."

"Why don't you have him stay with you?"

"Because I haven't told Hef about us yet."

"Why not?"

"Because I just got back today. I'm going to tell him tomorrow, and then move out."

"Where are you going to move to?"

"I don't know. Maybe a small house somewhere. Hey, I just got the greatest idea! Why don't you move in with me!"

"Rose, I don't know if that's the best idea."

"Why not?" she said, sounding sad. "I miss you, and you live so far away! This way you'd be by everyone else."

"Except Leah."

"No, she and Seth are moving in with Mike. You know, since she's pregnant and everything."

"Oh."

"So what do you say? Please, Bella?"

"I don't know. I mean, you're dating Emmett…" If she was dating Emmett, then Edward would be around the house a lot.

"The rest of his family will be forbidden to enter the house while you are there. Please, Bella? I'm begging you!

"Okay, fine! I'll move in with you!"

"Oh my gosh, yay! I'll have to let everyone else know. Oh, there's my other line. It's Emmett. I'll talk to you later, Bella. Love ya!" She hung up.

I decided to call Leah before I went up and took a shower.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Bella."

"Bella! It's so good to hear from you!"

"Are you home already?"

"No. Seth and I are crashing at Mike's place until tomorrow. Then, he's driving us down to help me move. We're moving in with him!"

"Oh, that's great!"

"Well, he thought it was best since I'm pregnant with his kid."

"That's great, Leah," I said, trying to sound happy.

"Bella, please tell me you're not sitting at home, moping."

"I'm not."

"You need to get out of the house. Go visit your friends."

"They're all in California," I said, smiling.

"Well, Mike, Seth, and I will be in Seattle this weekend. Come and visit us! You could even help me move!" she joked.

"I'll come see you as long as I don't have to do any heavy lifting.

"Deal."

"Alright, I'll talk to you Saturday."

"See you then." She hung up.

I put the phone down and walked into the living room, where Charlie was sitting, watching television.

"Hey, Bells. Talk to everyone?"

"Yeah. Dad, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What's up?"

"I'm moving out."

"What?"

"I'm moving in with Rosalie. Not right away, but soonish. She's getting her own place, and she asked me to live with her. So I am."

"Where is this?"

"Los Angeles," I said quietly.

"Bella, that's so far away," Charlie complained.

"Dad, you didn't think I was going to live in Forks for the rest of my life, did you?"

"No, but I thought you'd stick around a little longer."

"Well, this way, I can go back to school. UCLA is right there. I mean, I only have a semester of college under my belt, and I don't want to be a waitress for the rest of my life. Might as well."

"I'm going to miss you, kid."

"I'll miss you too, Dad. But you can come and visit me since you won't have to drive," I joked. He smiled. "Well, I'm going to go upstairs and shower."

"Okay. I was going to head to the station for a bit, unless you don't want to be here alone?" he said tentatively.

"Dad, I crashed on an island. I wasn't attacked in a house in a small town in Washington. Go. See the guys. I'll even make dinner."

"Thank god. I've been suffering here since you moved in with Jacob."

I smiled, but didn't meet his eyes.

"Sorry. If you want to talk about it…"

"…you'll be the first to know. Now go." I pushed him out the door. He got into his cruiser and pulled out of the driveway.

I walked upstairs, pulled off my clothes, and jumped in the shower.

The warm water felt good on my back, but while I stood in the shower, I kept thinking about the last shower I had. With Edward.

_No, stop it,_ I commanded myself. I had to get Edward out of my mind.

I shut off the water and climbed out of the shower, pulling on my robe.

As I walked to my room, I thought about Edward.

Maybe I was being ridiculous about everything.

Maybe I should listen to what he had to say. Then, if I still felt he was a lying bastard, I could dump him.

I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, combed through my hair, and went into the kitchen. I picked up the phone and dialed Edward's number.

********

EPOV

"Get up!" Emmett yelled at me.

"No. I think I'll just lie here until I die."

"Quit being a drama queen. Now get out of bed and call the hospital. You have to get your residency back."

"I don't care about being a doctor anymore. It doesn't matter if Bella's not there."

Emmett growled and jumped on the bed. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me onto the bed.

"You listen to me! You need to do something. So what Bella hasn't called you back yet? You need to get on with your life. If she hasn't called you back in a week, you can call her again. If she doesn't call you back then, it's over. You need to deal with that. By calling the hospital. Or Tanya."

"Why would I call Tanya?"

"To proceed with the divorce. I'm guessing she hasn't signed the papers yet. She was probably waiting for some kind of settlement from the airline. As your widow, she was guaranteed a nice, fat check."

I sighed and rolled out of bed.

"I'm going to shower first."

I got undressed and stepped in the shower. As soon as I got in, I thought of Bella. The last shower I took was with her. I could smell her now.

I had to call her. I had to make her listen to me. She had to understand.

I got out of the shower and dried off. Then, I pulled on a pair of sweats and a wife beater.

I picked up the phone to call Bella when it rang. I looked at the number.

Bella!

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"Edward?" she asked. Oh my god, it was really her! For me!

"Hi, Bella."

"Oh, thank god it's you. Listen, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted back in San Diego. I was acting like a kid throwing a tantrum."

"No, Bella, I need to apologize. I should have told you the truth."

"Well, I'm listening now."

"You really want to hear it?"

"Of course I—Charlie, is that you?"

"I'm Edward," I reminded her.

"No, Charlie's my dad. Dad?" she called out again. "Oh my god, what are you doing here? I thought you were dead! I saw you die! What are you doing? Get off of me!" Bella screamed.

"Bella! Bella! Bella, talk to me!" She didn't answer, but continued screaming in the background.

"Let go of me! Put me down! She screamed.

"Bella!" I shouted.

Then, someone picked up the phone.

"Bella?"

"Hello, Edward."

It wasn't Bella.

Wait, I knew that voice. It was…


	27. Chapter 26: Back From the Dead

Chapter 26: Back From the Dead

**AN: Thanks again for all the reviews. You guys are amazing. To thank you, you're going to get to find out who the voice on the phone was!**

BPOV

Standing in the kitchen in my sweatpants, I waited for Edward to pick up the phone.

_Please don't pick up. Please don't pick up. Please don't pick up. Please—_

"Hello?" a voice said on the other line.

"Edward?" I asked. Who else would it be?

"Hi, Bella."

"Oh, thank god it's you. Listen, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted back in San Diego. I was acting like a kid throwing a tantrum." That was the understatement of the year. I was being as stubborn as a mule.

"No, Bella, I need to apologize. I should have told you the truth." Did this mean he was finally going to tell me the truth? So I could finally decide if he was a douche or not?

"Well, I'm listening now."

"You really want to hear it?"

"Of course I—Charlie, is that you?" I looked towards the front door. I had definitely heard it open, but I didn't see anyone.

"I'm Edward," he reminded me. Just as arrogant as always.

"No, Charlie's my dad. Dad?" I called out again. Then, I saw him. He walked into the kitchen, his eyes on me. "Oh my god, what are you doing here? I thought you were dead! I saw you die! What are you doing?" I screamed at him. He lunged forward and grabbed my arm. "Get off of me!" I screamed.

He picked me up in his arms and threw me over his shoulder. I started pounding his back with the phone. "Let go of me! Put me down!" He hit me on the head and threw me to the floor. Everything went black.

********

I opened my eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room. My head hurt. I tried to rub my eyes, but my hands were stuck. Everything was blurry.

How did I get here? I didn't remember anything. The last thing I remember doing was talking to Edward on the phone.

I tried moving my feet, but I felt the rope cut into my ankles. This scenario felt a lot like de-ja-vu.

"Glad to see you're finally awake," a cold voice greeted me. I looked up and saw someone standing on a balcony above me.

Wait a minute, I knew him! But, he couldn't be here. I saw him die!

"What's the matter, Bella? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

I gaped at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"But—but—"

"But what? You saw me die? Your friend Steven needs to work on his aim next time he plans on shooting me," Aro sneered. "And do you honestly think I never suspected you would try to kill me? I wear Kevlar everywhere I go."

"How did you get off the island?" I asked, dumbfounded. "We blew up your camp!"

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I _always_ have a plan."

"But—"

"Enough about me," he said, looking at me. "Now, why don't you tell me about what happened to you while we wait for my special guest to arrive?"

"I don't want—special guest?"

"Yes, I'm expecting company, but I don't think he has any idea of what he's in store for," he laughed.

"Who's coming?" I said, my stomach sinking. I had a feeling I knew who it was.

"Your heroic and idiotic boyfriend, coming to rescue you."

"How does he even know I'm here?"

"Because I told him."

"What are you going to do to him?" I shrieked.

"Like I said, Bella…I _always_ have a plan."

********

EPOV

Aro? How could Aro still be alive? Steven fucking _shot_ him. I saw him _die_.

Yet he somehow survived. And he went to Washington and kidnapped Bella.

"Go to the ms Amsterdam in Elliot Bay in Seattle. No one will be there preventing you from getting on. You have three hours to get there," Aro had told me on the phone after he knocked Bella out.

How the hell was I supposed to get to Seattle in three hours from Los Angeles? It was close to 20 hours to drive there, and I couldn't get on an airplane in time.

Wait, I couldn't get on a _commercial_ airline by then.

I picked up the phone and dialed.

"Yo?" the familiar voice greeted me.

"Emmett? It's Edward. I need to borrow your plane."

***

An hour later, I was in the air, headed for Seattle. Emmett had been hesitant about letting me borrow his person jet, but when I told him it was to get Bella back, he handed it right over.

"Dr. Cullen? We're going to be landing shortly," the pilot said over the intercom. I put my seat up and got ready to get out of the plane as fast as I could. I wasn't exactly a fan of flying anymore.

The pilot set the plane down on a small landing strip in Seattle. As soon as the door opened, I sprinted out and hailed a cab.

"Elliot Bay," I told him. "And step on it!" I threw a hundred dollar bill at him.

The driver began speeding down the street, determined to make record time to Elliot Bay. 10 minutes later, he pulled into a parking lot by the bay. I saw a large cruise ship nearby.

"What ship is that?" I asked him

"The ms Amsterdam. Leaves for Alaska tomorrow."

"Thank you," I said to him, getting out of the car. He drove off as I approached the huge ship. There was no one on the deck, but a gangplank was there, allowing me to walk onto the ship without a problem.

"Bella!" I called once I got on. "Bella!" I began searching the lobby area, but I didn't see her or Aro.

I heard footsteps and looked up. A group of five men had just entered the lobby area. One of them had a knife, one had a bat, one had a chain, and the other two were three times as big as me.

Crap. I was doomed.

"Where's Bella?" I called out to them. They didn't answer. Instead, they just approached me, looking at me with murderous eyes. "Tell me where she is!" I shouted at them. Instead of answering me, the one swung the bat at my head.

I ducked and sprinted down the nearest hallway. I heard them following me. I ducked into the nearest room and jammed the door.

I heard them start pounding on the door. I was fucked.

********

BPOV

"Why are you doing this?" I yelled at him. "Why do you care about me and Edward?"

"You can't think of any reason why I may have a grudge against you and Edward, Bella?" Aro asked sweetly as he tightened the ropes on me. I tried throwing my body against the chair to knock it over, but it didn't budge. "Oh, and don't try knocking the chair over—it's bolted to the ground."

Fuck. I was stuck.

"Is this still about foiling your plans for world domination?"

"That's part of it, but not everything. You took my Jane away from me, so now I'm taking you away from Edward. Once he finally manages to get past my group of idiots upstairs in the lobby, he'll come down here to find you. Sadly, you'll already be dead."

"So you're going to kill me?" I asked. I knew it was inevitable.

"Certainly not. Your death will be a tragic accident."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Bella, do you think I brought you to a random room in a random building? No, of course not. We're in a ballast tank on a cruise ship. Once I leave this room, I'll turn a leaver and the room will slowly fill with water. By the time Edward gets down here, the tank will be filled, and you dead."

"Please, don't do this," I sobbed. "Please."

"Bella, begging is not a becoming trait on you. Now I'm going to leave and get off the ship before Edward gets down here. Ta." He walked out of the room and shut the door.

I heard a crank being turned and water began pouring out of a pipe on the wall.

"Help!" I screamed, even though I know no one could hear me. "Help!"

********

EPOV

I could hear the thugs banging on the door, trying to get into the room and kill me. There was no way I was getting out of here alive. I looked around the room for something to defend myself with, when I saw another door. I walked over to it and opened it. Inside, there was a flight of stairs. I took them down.

Hmm, I wonder where these lead. The just kept going down and down. I couldn't see the end of them from where I was.

On my way down, I saw a knife sitting on the one stair. I picked it up and slid it into my pocket. It might come in handy.

I kept traveling down the stairs until I came to a dark corridor.

I walked down it. I could hear the engines groaning and saw the lights in the ceiling flickering. I must be down at the bottom of the ship where the propellers were.

I saw someone dart out of a room and shut a door. Suspicious, I followed him.

He stopped at the wall and turned a crank. There was a grinding sound, then I heard the splash of water. The man began walking down the hall, whistling to himself.

"Hey!" I called. He stopped and turned around.

Aro!

"Edward," he said, raising his eyebrows. "I'm surprised to see you. You got past my friends faster than I thought you would."

"Where is she?" I growled.

"Tut, tut. You didn't say please," she said, mocking me. I grabbed him around the scruff of his neck.

"WHERE IS SHE?" I shouted in his face. He didn't say anything. He just smiled in my face.

I reached into my pocket, grabbed the knife, and held it to his throat.

"Tell me where she is, or so help me god, I will kill you, and I _will_ make sure you are dead this time!"

"Go ahead, kill me," he said, calling me out. "But killing we won't bring Bella back."

I sucked in a breath of air. "You mean you already killed her?"

"I did nothing of the sort. Bella's death was a tragic accident. It's too bad you were too late to save her." He smiled his evil smile and looked me in the eyes. I moved the knife and pointed it at his throat. I pushed it in, and saw the flow of blood start.

Aro started making choking noises, and spat up some blood on my shirt. The trickled of blood ran down his chest. I pulled the knife out and stuck it into his chest. He spit more blood on my shirt. He shuddered twice, then moved no more.

I dropped him on the ground and pulled the knife out of my chest. I wiped it on his shirt, then stuck it back in my pocket.

"Bella! Bella!" I called out, hoping she could hear me. I didn't hear anything.

I ran back the way I came and began looking in all the rooms I passed. I checked the first one, but I didn't see her. I looked in the next one, but it was only the propeller room.

Then, I heard a faint scream. "Edward," the voice said.

Bella!

I ran towards the source of the noise. I looked through the door of another room, and saw her.

She was sitting on a chair in the middle of a tank. There was water all round her. The water was up to her chest, and it was steadily rising.

"Bella!" I shouted pulling on the door. It didn't budge. She turned her head and looked me straight in the eye.

"Edward!" she cried. "Edward, help me!"

I looked around for something to open the door with, but there was nothing.

"Bella, I'll be right back," I promised her, putting my hand on the door.

"No, Edward! Don't leave me!"

"Bella, I have to find something to open the door with. I'll be right back, I promise." I ran down the corridor, looking for something to break the door down with. On the wall, I saw a fire hose, and an ax. Perfect!

I opened the case and pulled the ax out. Then, I ran back down to where Bella was. I looked in the room and saw the water was now lapping up onto her collarbone.

I lifted the ax over my shoulder and slammed it into the door. There was an indentation where my ax had been, but the door was still locked.

"Edward, watch out!" Bella screamed. I turned around and saw one of the men from upstairs swing the chain at my head. I ducked and his chain hit the door. I yanked the ax out of the door and swung it at my attacker's leg. He let out a howl of pain as the blade connected with his calf.

"Motherfucker!" he screamed as be bent down to grab his bleeding leg. I stood up and kicked him in the face. He fell over, unconscious.

"Edward!" Bella screamed. I looked back in the room and saw the water was now up to her chin.

"I'm coming, Bella," I said, picking up the ax. I swing it at the door again. I saw that the ax went completely through the door. I was almost there.

Then, a huge fist connected with the door. I looked behind me and saw the two huge guys standing there, staring at me. I picked up the chain from the floor as they charged me. I swung it in the air and threw it. It wrapped around both of their necks, causing them to fall to the floor, gasping for air.

I pulled the ax back and was about to swing when I heard footsteps behind me. I saw the last two guys—the knife guys and the bat guy, standing about five feet from me.

"Edward!" Bella screamed. "Hurry!"

I pulled the knife out of my pocket and threw it at the guy with the knife. It went straight into his chest. He fell over, bleeding. The guy with the bat began swinging at my head. I ducked under one of his blows and swung the ax at his head. He stood there for a moment, then his head fell to the floor, separate from his body.

I walked over to the one guy and pulled the knife out of his chest. I picked up the ax and began knocking down the door again. I looked in and saw Bella was completely submerged. I was too late! I swung the ax as hard as I could, and the door flew open. I swam to Bella. Her eyes were still open and she was breathing, but she was fading.

_Hang on, baby_, I mouthed to her. I used the knife and started cutting the robes binding her to the chair. I was working on the last robe binding her foot, when her eyes closed.

The rope fell off her and I pulled her out of the chair. I saw to the surface and out of the room. I ran through the water-filled corridor and up the stairs. When I made it back to the lobby, I put her on the floor.

She wasn't breathing.

"No, Bella! Stay with me!" I put my mouth on hers and starting giving her CPR—two breaths, 30 compressions. Repeat. After three cycles, Bella coughed up some water and started breathing.

"Oh, thank god," I breathed.

"Edward?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah baby, it's me," I said, pushing her soaking-wet hair out of her face.

"Edward, where's Aro?" she asked, trembling.

"He's gone. He'll never hurt you again. It's all over."

"Oh, Edward!" She sat up and threw her arms around me. Her lips found mine, and it was like nothing had ever happened to drive us apart. I put one arm under her knees and one around her waist. I picked her up without letting our lips part. I walked down the gangplank and stood with Bella right next to Elliot Bay.

"Taxi!"

********

BPOV

I sat in the cab with my head on Edward's shoulder. We were both soaking wet. I had no idea where we were going, but as long as I was with Edward, I didn't care.

The driver pulled into the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, the premier hotel in Seattle. The only time I had ever been here was in my dreams.

Edward paid the driver and helped me out of the cab. We were walking towards the entrance when the driver called out to us.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes?" Edward asked.

"Are you two of the JAL Ten?" he asked. "I swear you look just like those people giving the press conference yesterday on TV!"

"Yes, that's us," I croaked out.

"Wow," he gasped. "Hey, could I get your autographs?" He held out a pen and paper.

Smiling, Edward and I signed the paper for the cab driver, then walked into the hotel. We walked up to the front desk.

"Your finest suite, please," he said, putting his credit card on the desk. I leaned against Edward, barely able to keep my eyes open. "Also, we would like some food in about an hour, and we're going to be needing laundry service."

"Yes, sir," the front desk clerk said, eyeing us with recognition. She handed Edward a room key, and we made our way to the elevator.

Once we reached the floor, Edward carried me to the room and laid me on the bed. He lied down next to me and took my hand in his. He turned to face me and was about to kiss me, when there was a knock at the door.

He groaned and rolled back over. "That's probably a bellhop for our clothes. Go into the closet and grab the two robes." He got up and went to answer the door.

I walked over to the closet and pulled out two white, fluffy robes. I went onto the bathroom and stripped. I pulled the robe on, and walked back into the room with my wet clothes and the other robe for Edward. He took both my clothes and the other robe. He handed my clothes to the bellhop, then went into the bathroom to take his off.

"Late night swim?" the bellhop asked me, taking in my disheveled appearance and wet clothes.

"Not exactly."

"Hey, aren't you guys the survivors from that plane crash? The JAL Ten or whatever?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

"Sweet. That's amazing. So what's it like to be back?"

"Nice."

Just then, Edward emerged with his clothes. He handed them to the bellhop, then closed the door.

"So, we need to talk," he said to me.

"I know we do, Edward, but can it wait? I want to shower first." I let the robe fall of my shoulders and walked, completely naked, into the bathroom with Edward following me. I closed the door on his shocked face.

I tuned the water on. Before I got in, I opened the door and leaned my head out. "That was an invitation, not a statement."

********

Two hours later, Edward and I were lying on the bed after eating the food room service brought for us.

"Okay, let's talk."

**Sorry this chapter was kind of violent. I wasn't intending it to be that way, but it just ended up happening.**


	28. Chapter 27: The Truth

Chapter 27: The Truth

EPOV

Talk. Right. The truth. Great.

Bella and I were lying on the bed in the hotel room. We both had on the hotel robes, and Bella had her head on my shoulder. I started to sit up, and Bella rolled over onto her stomach.

"Yeah, you're right. We need to talk," I said to her. She looked up at me with her big, brown eyes. "I'm guessing you want the truth."

She nodded.

"Okay. When I met you, I was still technically married." Her face fell.

"So you cheated on your wife with me?" she whispered. "You made me the other woman?" I looked at her face and saw the tears falling.

"It's not like that, Bella," I said, taking her face in my hands. She tried to turn her head. "Bella, look at me."

"Why should I? You just told me you're married!"

"Would you let me finish? I said I was married, but when I started my relationship with you, my marriage was over."

She looked at me, confused. "I'm not sure I understand."

"A week before I left for Japan, I walked in on my wife fucking some other guy. Before I got on that plane in Japan, I filed for divorce."

"Oh," was all she said.

"When I kissed you, I didn't feel like I was cheating on Tanya. She betrayed my by bringing another man into my home and sleeping with him. In my eyes, I was no longer married. Legally, I still was, but emotionally, I wasn't."

"You should have told me about her before you started sleeping with me," Bella whispered.

"I know. I will regret that for the rest of my life. I should have told you. I should have given you the choice to not get involved. I should have told you so if you did decide to be with me, you would know what you were getting into."

"Exactly. You knew about Jacob. You knew I was engaged before I was with you. You should have extended the same courtesy to me."

"Well, that's it," I said to her. "That's the truth."

She looked at me and thought for a minute. "I believe you, and I forgive you. I'm still mad at you for lying, but I get it. I only have one more question."

"Okay?"

"Are you still married?"

"Technically, yes. But not for long. First thing tomorrow, I'm flying back to LA and getting this divorce."

"You realize what people are going to say once we go public with our relationship," she said. "They're going to say I'm some kind of whore who split up the perfect marriage."

"So let them think that!" I said to her. "We know the truth. We know what really happened. That's all that matters. Bella, I love you. You're the person I want to be with, not Tanya."

She smiled at me, then grabbed my face and pressed her lips to mine. I fell back onto the bed with Bella on top of me. She was kissing me passionately, running her fingers through my hair. I moved my lips from her lips to her neck. I rolled over so she was beneath me.

I opened her robe and trailed kisses down her neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me.

"Edward…wait," she said weakly.

I groaned and gently placed her on the bed. "What?

"I love you, but if we keep going like this, we're going to end up having sex.

"So? I haven't slept with you since that night in San Diego."

"Yes, but that was before I found out you were married," she said. "I don't want to have sex again until you are no longer married."

"Are you serious?" I groaned.

"Yes," she said, kissing me on the cheek. "I love you, but I can't have sex with you when I know you're still married to someone else."

"Okay," I said, lying down next to her. "I'll keep it in my pants until Tanya is no longer Mrs. Cullen.

********

RPOV

I rolled over in my bed and looked at the clock.

3 am.

Still too early to call Emmett.

It had been hours since I last talked to him. I missed my goofy, over-muscular boyfriend.

I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to kiss him, but I couldn't. I was still living at the Playboy mansion, and I hadn't told Hef I was moving out or moving on. That was going to be a fun conversation.

I looked at the clock again.

3:02 am.

Jeez, could time move any slower?

Just then, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Miss me?"

"Emmett!"

"Hey Rosie."

"Baby, I miss you. I wish you were here keeping me company in this big, comfy bed."

"That's it, I'm coming over," he said.

I laughed. "Em, you can't. Hef still doesn't know about us."

"You still haven't told him?" Emmett sighed.

"I know, I know. I'm going to tell him today, I promise. I already found where I'm going to live when I move out."

"I don't see why you don't just move in with me," he grumbled.

"Bella's going to live with me," I told him. "I can't kick her out after I just asked her to move in!"

"Well, maybe she'll move in with Edward," Emmett suggested.

"You mean Edward the adulterous bastard?" I asked.

"Hey, that's my brother!"

"Emmett, I love you, but your brother is a total douchebag."

"He's not. Tanya was a whore who married him for his money, then cheated on him."

"Well, he cheated on her," I told him. "He's still married to her, but he's sleeping with Bella."

"He filed for divorce."

"You know what, let's not talk about Edward," I suggested. "Let's talk about us."

"Great plan. So tell me again why you won't live with me," Emmett said sweetly.

"Because I'm going to live on my own for the first time in my life."

"Rose, you're being ridiculous. You're going to end up moving in with me a month later."

"Emmett, you're an arrogant asshole."

"But you still love me."

"You know I do," I sighed.

Just then, my door opened. Bridgette was standing there in her pajamas, looking at me.

"Rosalie, who are you talking to?" she yawned. "It's after three in the morning!"

"Em, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Love you."

"Love you too." I hung up my phone and looked back at Bridgette.

"Oh, was that your new guy?" she asked with curiosity.

I nodded.

"Ooh, tell me all about him! Do you love him?" she said, sitting on my bed.

"Yeah, I do. He's the sweetest, kindest, most amazing man I've ever met."

"So, are you going to move out and move in with him?"

"No. I'm getting my own place and moving in with another friend of mine from the crash."

"Why? That guy is obviously head over heels for you. I wouldn't be surprised if he asks you to marry him soon."

"Bridgette, we've only know each other for a few months," I said, laughing.

"True love doesn't go according to time. It goes according to love."

"What, you think he's my _soul mate_?" I said sarcastically. She nodded.

"Rosalie, look at the facts: you two were on the same plane that crashed on a deserted island. If that isn't fate, then I don't know what is!"

"Okay, I think you've read one too many romance novels."

"Fine, don't believe me. But when he pops the question, I'll be saying _I told you so_." She got up off the bed and walked out of my room.

"'Night Bridgette," I called after her.

I lay back down and tried to fall asleep.

********

That morning, I woke up, still exhausted. I got out of bed, grabbed my robe and slippers, and headed to Hef's room. Time to get this over with.

"Pookey?" I said, sticking my head into his office.

"Hey, Buttercup," he said, greeting me. "Come on in."

I walked into his office and sat in the chair next to him.

"Hef, I need to talk to you about something,"

"Okay. What's up?" he said, looking at me concerned.

"Hef, you know you've been great to me. I came out to California with barely anything, and you gave me a job, took me in, and gave me a home. I'll always be grateful to you for that."

"Is this about your future at the mansion?" he asked.

I nodded. "Being on that island gave me a different perspective on my life. I've loved it here. I mean, it's been my home for the past three years, but I think it's time I moved on. I met someone."

"That's wonderful, Rosalie," Hef said, smiling at me.

"You're not…mad?"

"I knew this day would come eventually. You know I love you, but I can never give you a wedding or children or a family. I always knew you would find that with someone else, and I love you enough that I'll let you go and find happiness with someone else."

"Thank you, Hef," I said, hugging him.

"So, who is he?"

"I met him while I was stranded on that island," I said. "He's a football player."

"Emmett Cullen or Mike Newton?"

"How did you—?"

"Rosalie, we were all following the plane crash here. We learned who all the passengers were. So, Emmett or Mike."

"Emmett," I said, blushing.

"That's great," he said, smiling. "Now, I want you to know that you are always welcome here. You can still live here if you want."

"Thanks, but I think I really need to live on my own for once. My whole life, I've been dependent on other people. First, my parents, then Royce, then you. I think I'm going to get my own place for awhile."

"You know I'll always love you," he said.

"And I'll always love you," I said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Bye, darling," he said as I walked out of the room.

I went back to my room and called Emmett.

"Hello?"

"Em, it's Rosie." When did I start calling myself "Rosie"? Emmett must be rubbing off on me.

"Morning baby. What's up?"

"I told him."

"How did he take it?'

"Surprisingly well. I thought he was going to be mad, but he said he understood. He knows he can never give me anything more than what we have now, and you can. He's happy that I found someone."

"So when are you moving in?"

I sighed. "Emmett, I'm moving into my own place with Bella."

"Not anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, Bella's going to call you soon. Then you'll find out what I mean."

"She's back with Edward, isn't she?"

"Yep. Once Edward gets his divorce finalized, they're going to move in. Which leaves you without a roommate and me with extra closet space. So, what time did you want me over to help you pack?"

I sighed. "You never give up, do you?"

"Nope. I'm ruthless. I'll be over at noon. Love you."

"Emmett—" But he had already hung up.

How did he do that? How did he get his way so easily? How—

My phone was ringing. I looked at the caller ID: Bella.

"Hey, Bella," I said. "What's up?"

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" she asked, sounding worried.

"Nope, I'm up. I had to talk to Hef this morning."

"Oh, so did you tell him about you and Emmett?"

"Yep. How's everything going with you?"

"Well, something happened."

"What?"

"I'll have to tell you when I see you, but I forgave Edward last night, and that's why I'm calling. I'm going to be living with him once he's divorced, so I can't move in with you."

"I know. Emmett told me."

"He did? I _told_ him not to say anything!"

"Bella, it's fine. I understand."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Emmett's already taken care of it. Apparently, I'm moving in with him."

"Really?"

"Yes."

She screamed. "I can't believe it! That's great!"

"Too much enthusiasm for this early, Bella."

"Oops, sorry. Well, now we'll all be living by each other."

"Except Leah and Seth," I reminded her.

"Nope. Leah and Seth are moving in with Mike. They're selling their house in Seattle and moving to California."

"Oh, that's great! Now we won't have to worry about traveling to see each other!"

"I know! Well, I have to go, Rose. I'm flying down to California with Edward soon. I'll see you later."

"Kay. Bye." I hung up.

I sat down on my bed and waited for Emmett to arrive.

********

APOV

"So, are you planning on telling my parents the intentions you have towards their daughter?" I asked Jasper. We were lying in my bed, and I was lying across his chest.

He laughed. "If you'll let me."

I sighed. It had been two days, and Jasper and I still hadn't told my parents we were engaged.

"Alice, we're going to have to tell them soon. We can't keep sneaking around like this. We're going to get caught."

"No, Cynthia knows. She won't tell them, and she'll warn me when they're coming up."

"Alice, I don't like the fact that I'm staying at your parent's house without them knowing, sleeping with their daughter."

"I know, I know."

"How about we tell them in the morning?" he suggested.

"I am _not _telling my mom I'm engaged, then showing her the ring is actually a piece of grass tied around my ring finger."

"Okay, fine. We'll go to Tiffany's, _then_ tell your parents."

I looked him in the eyes. "Okay, fine." I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.

********

"Wake up, sleepy head," someone said, jumping on my bed. I opened my eyes and saw Cynthia standing over me. I looked to my right, and saw Jasper was no longer there.

"He had to leave early," Cynthia told me. "Dad came up to see you before he left for work. Luckily, I was up, so I came in and told him to grab his clothes and leave. He said he'll be here around 11 to pick you up."

I looked at the clock. It said 10:45.

"Ph my god, he'll be here in 15 minutes!" I said, jumping out of bed. I grabbed my robe and ran into the bathroom. I showered quickly, then pulled on my robe and ran back into my room. I opened my closet and grabbed a pink ruffled blouse, a black pencil skirt, and my black Christian Louboutin pumps. I got dressed quickly, then ran to the bathroom to do my makeup. By 11 am, I was ready.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Cynthia sang, darting out of my room and racing down the stairs. I followed her out of my room and down stairs. By the time I got there, she had already let Jasper in.

"Wow, you look amazing," he said, looking me up and down.

"Thanks," I said, blushing slightly. It made me happy that even the smallest compliment from Jasper still made me blush.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, Just let me grab my purse." I went into the kitchen and grabbed my vintage Chanel bag.

"Alice?" my mom said, walking in. "Honey, where are you going?" she asked, taking in my appearance.

"Jasper's taking me shopping," I said.

"What's going on with you two?" she asked suspiciously.

"Mom, I promise to explain everything when I get back. What time's Dad going to be back?"

"He just had to go in for a meeting. He'll be back around noon."

"Okay. I'll see you when I get back," I said, kissing her on the cheek.

I walked back into the front hall, where Jasper and Cynthia were talking.

"…and he said he's moving to California with Leah! Isn't that exciting?"

"That's great, Cynthia. I'm sure it'll be much easier to hang out when he's living only 20 minutes away instead of 20 hours."

She laughed.

"Okay, Jasper, let's go," I said grabbing his hand.

We walked out to his car. I got into the passenger's side while he turned the car on. A minute later, we were speeding off towards Tiffany's.

"Can you promise me one thing?" he asked.

"I'll try."

"Please don't spend all my money on this ring."

I laughed. "Jasper, now why would I do that?"

"I know what you like. You like the expensive, shiny rings."

"You know what, I think this whole plane crash thing has humbled me a bit. I'd rather get a simple ring."

He smiled and me and kissed me lightly on the cheek. "Well, we're here. Let's go in." I got out of the car and the two of us walked into the store, hand in hand.

"Hello, Mr. Whitlock," the girl in the store greeted Jasper. She was smiling at him and looking extremely nervous. When she saw our clasped hands, she glared at me.

"Hello. We would like to see your diamond rings please," Jasper said, winking at the girl. She giggled, then led us over to a case of jewelry. Inside, there were all rings with enormous diamonds.

"Jas, these are more Rosalie than me."

"I couldn't agree more. Do you have anything smaller?" he asked.

She scowled at me again, then led us to another case.

I looked at the rings inside. They were perfect. There was no huge diamond that could poke somebody's eye out. Instead, there were much more modest rings. The diamonds were smaller, but still beautiful.

"So, Mr. Whitlock, I saw you on the news yesterday. What's it like being back?"

"Amazing," Jasper said. "Alice and I are just happy that we can finally have a normal relationship."

"Jasper, I like that one," I said, pointing to a small band with no large stone. Instead, there was a small stone in the center of the white-gold band. **(Ring picture in profile.)**

"It's beautiful," he said. "Can we see that on, please?" The girl pulled the ring out of the case and handed it to Jasper. He turned to face me. "Now, I want to do this right. When I proposed to you on the island, I tied a piece of grass around your finger. Alice," he said, bending down on one knee, "I love you. I have always loved you. From the moment I saw you, I was in love with you. From the moment I met you, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. You are my soul mate. Will you marry me?"

"Of course, Jasper," I said with a big goofy grin on my face. He slid the ring onto my finger, then stood up and kissed me.

"We'll take this on," he told the girl. She looked at me bitterly.

********

"Mom?" I called, walking into my house with Jasper behind me. "Dad? Cynthia?"

"In here," my mom called from the entertainment room. Jasper and I walked in, and saw everyone watching television.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Well, TMZ is reporting that one Miss Alice Brandon just got engaged to Mr. Jasper Whitlock," my mom said, looking at us.

I locked eyes with Jasper. How did they already know.

"Is it true?" my mom asked.

"Well, yeah," I said, taking Jasper's hand. "We were just out getting the ring."

"Alice, honey, this all seems so sudden," my mom said carefully. "I mean, you guys have only known each other a few months."

"Mom, you weren't on the island with us. Having infinite time to spend with someone lets you get to know them faster than normal. It's like I've known Jasper for years, not months."

"I just wish you had told us first before telling the tabloids," my dad sighed.

"We didn't tell anyone," I said. "We just went to Tiffany's, Jasper proposed, then we came back."

"I bet that sales girl told the media," Jasper sighed.

"Yeah, she didn't seem to like me," I said. "She was shooting me daggers the entire time I was there."

Just then, the phone rang. My mom picked it up.

"Hello?...Yes, she just told us…well, I didn't know…of course I would have…well, I have to talk to her first…you'll be the first to know, I promise…goodbye."

"Who was that?"

"Esme Cullen, of course."

"Edward's mom?" Jasper asked.

"Yes. She's just wondering why I didn't tell her about my daughter getting engaged to her son's best friend. And of course, she asked about the engagement party. Looks like I'll be planning this party all weekend."

"Mom, you don't…"

"Of course I do, Alice. Well, Jasper, I'm so happy Alice found someone. I'm still mad at you," she said, glaring at me.

I sighed and sat down on the couch with Jasper. Of course my engagement would be on the news. Great. Life as a celebrity was starting up again.

I felt Jasper's cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached down and answered it.

"Yeah?...No, it's cool…yeah, we'll be over now."

"Who was that?"

"Edward. He wants to know if he could come over and drop Bella off at my place."

"Why?"

"Because he needs to tell his wife he wants a divorce."


	29. Chapter 28: You're Mine

Chapter 28: You're Mine

**AN: Thanks to all my reviewers. You people are amazing. Seriously.**

LPOV

"Good morning, Leabug," Mike greeted me as I woke up. I opened my eyes and saw him looking at me.

"Morning," I said, gently kissing him on the lips.

"How's my baby momma feeling today?"

"Wonderful. Your future offspring isn't too bad, either. A few kicks, but that's it. I guess I should go see a doctor and get all the prenatal meds and stuff."

"Yeah, probably."

"You don't know anymore about this stuff than I do, do you?"

"Nope."

"Great."

"Hey, we can ask my mom. She's a nurse. She'll help you out. I don't know how happy she'll be when she finds out I'm the father and we're not married."

"Great. Your mom's first opinion of me will be that I'm a pregnant slut. Great."

"Hey, she's going to love you. And here, I made you breakfast. You can even have it in bed if you want."

"Thanks honey," I said, kissing him again. I started eating. Mike was actually a pretty good cook. The pancakes were good, and he even put strawberries on top.

I had med the perfect guy.

"Hey, Leah!" Seth called, racing into Mike's room. "Did you eat the pancakes Mike made? Mine had chocolate chips in them!"

I laughed. "That's great, Seth." I gave him a kiss on the cheek. He turned to Mike.

"Do you have any video games here?"

"Yeah. In the living room, I have an Xbox360, a Wii, and a PS3. You choose."

"Wow!" he said, racing out of the room.

"I think Seth's in love," I joked. "He's going to love living here. By the way, Bella's going to help us move on Saturday."

"Awesome. I can sit and relax while you two do all the heavy lifting." I threw my pillow at him. "Kidding! God, you can't take a joke!"

I glared at him.

Suddenly, we heard the door open and a girl's voice filled the house.

"Mikey! It's me!" I heard a high-heeled shoe clicking the ground as the mysterious woman walked around the house, looking for "Mikey."

"Crap," Mike muttered.

"Who is it?"

"Holly."

"Holly, as in Holly Madison?" I asked. "Weren't you guys dating before the crash?"

"Yep. That's why she's here, I'm guessing."

A blonde-haired woman appeared at the door to the room.

"Mikey!" she screamed, running at him and throwing herself into his arms. "I can't believe it's really you!"

He gently pushed her off.

"Holly, we need to talk," he said. At that point, Holly realized there was another woman in the room. Me.

"Hi," I said, extending my arm towards her. "I'm Leah."

"Mike, what's going on?" she asked, looking from me to my slightly round stomach to Mike.

"This is what I wanted to talk about," he said.

"You cheated on me? With this skank?" she screamed.

"Leah is not a skank!"

"She's pregnant! Looks like a skank to me!"

"She's pregnant with my kid!" he bellowed. She looked at him, shocked.

"So _this_ is what you were doing on that island? This piece of trash?" she screamed in his face. I shrunk back into the pillow.

"Leah is not trash!" he yelled back at her.

"That's what everyone is going to be saying when they find out she's knocked up! They're going to say she's some little slut, especially since you two aren't married. I mean, people don't even know you're dating!"

"Get out!" he roared

"You know what Mike, screw you! You're throwing away the best thing that ever happened to you for some boring girl you met on an island." She spun around, hitting him in the face with her blond hair, and stomped out of the door.

"Sorry about that," he said to me. "I forgot how she gets. Well, luckily that little bit of unpleasantness is over with." He lay down next to me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, my voice slightly shaking.

"Leah, don't listen to anything she said."

"But she's right. Everyone's going to be thinking that when the media founds out you knocked me up. They're going to know we're not married and not planning on getting married. God, what am I going to do?" I sobbed.

"I have an idea," he said to me, smiling.

"What?"

"Go get showered and get dressed in your nicest dress."

"But Mike, what's going—"

"I don't have time to explain. I have to go make a few phone calls." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and started dialing his phone.

I looked after him, confused. What did he have planned?

********

JPOV

After Edward called me, Alice and I said goodbye to her parents, then drove to my place. When we got there, Edward and Bella were sitting on the front porch, waiting for us.

"Could you move _any_ slower, Whitlock?" Edward asked. "We've been sitting here for close to half an hour and I really want to get this thing finished."

Bella nodded in agreement. "The sooner my boyfriend is divorced, the better."

Alice rushed over to Bella and pulled her in the house once I unlocked the door. "Do you want to see my ring?" I heard her squeak as she disappeared from sight.

"Thanks man," Edward said to me. "I couldn't exactly bring her with me to see my wife, and I was _not_ going to leave her alone after what just happened."

"What happened?" I asked him curiously.

"We ran into an old friend from the island," he said bitterly.

"Who?" I asked curiously. Everyone we knew from the island was dead except for ten survivors.

"Aro," he whispered.

"But…I thought you guys killed him! You said Steven shot him!"

"He did. I thought he was dead, but he wasn't, and he got off the island and went after Bella. I made sure he was dead this time," he said darkly.

"So…it's over?"

"Finally."

"But if Aro survived, isn't there the possibility someone else survived?"

"Possible, but not likely. Listen, Jasper, we can talk about this later, but I need to get over to Tanya's before two. I called her and told her I'd be coming over, and she said she had to leave for work then."

"Does she still think you guys are together?" I asked.

"Must be, since she's still calling herself Tanya Cullen, and she's still living in the house I bought."

"But you filed for divorce before we left!"

"I know. Maybe she thinks I changed my mind, or all the months apart will have made me realized I still love her."

I was about to respond when my phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the caller ID. Newton.

"Yeah?"

"Hey Jasper, it's Newton. Listen, I need you to come over to my house in like half an hour."

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't have time to explain. Just bring Alice, and come in Sunday-church clothes. I have to call Emmett and Edward."

"Edward's here. Do you want me to tell him?" I asked.

"Let me talk to him." I handed the phone to Edward.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Newton wants to talk to you.

"Yeah?...no, I can't…but I have to go…Bella will be there…I really can't…okay fine! I'll be there…see you soon." He hung up the phone, grumbling.

"Do you know what we're going over there for?" I asked him.

"No, he just said it was important and wouldn't shut up unless I agreed to go. I guess I'll have to go see Tanya either tonight or tomorrow." He sighed. "Bella's not going to be happy about this."

The two of us walked inside and went to find the girls.

They were in the living room, looking at my pictures.

"Jasper, is this really you with Johnny Depp?" Bella squealed.

"Uh, yeah. I met him at a movie premiere, and we took a picture together. He's a chill guy. But we all have to go."

"What? I thought we came here so I could hang out with Bella while Edward took care of come unpleasant business!" Alice complained.

"That was the plan," Edward said, "but Newton just called us, and we need to go over to his place in half an hour."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Dunno."

"How are you going to get this thing with Tanya squared away if we're all going to see Newton?" Bella said.

"I can't. I'm gonna call her and see when I can go over. Maybe I can tonight."

"But Edward—"

"I know, I know. I want this thing to be over as much as you do, but apparently this thing is important."

"So, you girls need to get changed into something nice. Edward, I can lend you something," I said, getting up.

"All my clothes are at my house," Alice complained.

"And mine are back in Forks!"

"Do you honestly think I have no girl clothes here? Check the closet in the back room—I'm sure you'll find something your size there." Bella and Alice retreated while Edward and I went into my room. We both emerged five minutes later in khaki pants and button down shirts.

"You guys look nice," Bella said, walking out of the back room. She had on a strapless white sundress with pink flowers and a light brown ribbon around the middle. Alice followed in a pink and orange sundress.

"You look beautiful," I said as she came to my side and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Why do you have so much girl clothes?" Bella asked.

"I'm an actor—I have a lot of friends who are actresses. They sometimes stay here when I'm away, and they leave their shit here. It accumulates over time." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, let's go," Edward said. The four of us walked outside and got in my Mercedes. Bella and Alice sat in the back while I drove and Edward sat in the front.

"Why exactly are we going to see Leah and Newton?" Bella asked. "I mean, I love them and everything, but I don't get why we're going there in the middle of the day."

"Neither do we," Edward said. "Newton wouldn't tell us why. He just said we had to be there. Apparently, Em and Rose are going to be there too."

"Great. Rose is going to kick my ass when she sees me," Bella groaned.

"Why? What did you do?" Alice asked her.

"We were going to get a place together, but then Edward and I got back together, so I'm moving in with him instead."

"I'm sure she understands."

"Yeah, maybe."

We pulled up to Newton's place a minute later. I saw Emmett's white jeep in the driveway already. He and Rosalie must already be here.

The four of us got out of the car and walked into his house.

********

RPOV

"Ow!" Leah said as I curled her hair. "Careful!"

"I'm sorry, but you did ask me to do your hair."

"I thought it would be less painful than if I did it. Apparently I was wrong," she grumbled.

"Oh, be quiet," I said, curling another strand of hair. "By the way, you look really good."

"Not too fat?" she said.

"No, the dress looks good on you." She really looked beautiful. She had on a white sundress with embroidery all over it. Against her darker skin, it looked really nice.

I finished the last strand of hair, then pinned the curls on the back of her head in a messy bun with some curls cascading down her back.

"Here, look," I said, bringing her to a mirror. She checked herself out, then turned and checked out her hair.

"It looks amazing, Rosalie. Thank you," she said, giving me a hug.

"Leah, you look amazing!" Bella squealed, walking into the room.

Alice laughed when she saw me. "Rose, you are the only person who would wear something like that when Mike said Sunday-church attire. You look amazing, though."

I looked down at myself. I was in a skin-tight halter pink dress that showed off my ass and my tits very nicely. I paired it with a pair of silver Christian Louboutin peep-toe sling backs.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.

"Nothing. You just fit the appearance of a Playboy model is all," Alice remarked.

"Well, let's get going," Leah said. "Mike's going to start pacing if we take any longer."

We walked out into the front hall where all the guys were waiting. Seth and Cynthia were there too. Seth was in a pair of grey pants with a white striped button down shirt. Cynthia was in a knee-length sundress with cowboy boots.

"Cynthia? What are you doing here?" Alice asked when we walked out.

"Mike and Seth came to pick me up. They said it was important. And I wanted to see Seth." I looked down and saw Seth give her hand a squeeze.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Leah asked annoyed.

"Not yet. Jasper, you, Alice, Bella, and Edward follow me in your car. Everyone else , pile into my car." Emmett and I held hands as we sat in Mike's Lexus. We pulled up to a building in downtown LA.

"Where are we?" Leah asked Mike.

"City Hall," he answered. "I called a friend of mine, and he got us a marriage license. Leah, I love you. I want to marry you, if you'll have me." He gazed into her eyes.

She nodded with tears coming out of her eyes. "Yes, okay." She kissed him.

"Let's go," he said, getting out of the car. "They're going to perform a small ceremony for us. I want you all here as witnesses."

"We can be your bridesmaids!" Alice piped in, joining us.

"Look, we all even have pink dresses!" Cynthia said excitedly.

"Wait," I said, walking over to a garden in front of the building. I reached down and picked some flowers, forming a colorful bouquet.

I brought them over to Leah. "Cynthia, give me your ribbon," I said. She took the ribbon out of her hair, and I tied it around the flowers. "You can't get married without a bouquet," I told her, handing her the flowers.

The ten of us then entered the building and headed up and met the judge in one of the rooms.

I had a camera with me in my purse, and I took pictures of them as the judge performed the ceremony.

He got to the vows, and Mike and Leah pronounced their love for each other. When the ring exchange came, Mike realized he didn't have a ring for Leah.

"Take mine," I said, sliding the ring Royce had given me off my right hand. I had no use for it anymore. Mike took it and slid it onto Leah's left hand. It looked perfect on her.

Then, the judge pronounced them man and wife. We all left the building, and piled back into Mike's car.

"Should I call you Mrs. Newton now?" I teased Leah once we were in the car.

"Hey, I'm happy, so don't rain on my parade," she said, patting Mike on the shoulder. "Now let's go back to Mike's house and have a wedding reception.

Once we got back to the house, Mike pulled out all the food and drinks he had. We brought everything to his backyard and set it up on his patio table.

He went in and put on some music that played on his outdoor speakers. Jasper, Alice, Edward, and Bella arrived, bringing a cake with them.

"We thought you might need one," Alice said, placing the cake on the table. It was a sheet cake with white icing and flowers that said, "Congratulations Mike and Leah."

I poured everyone champagne (except Leah, who drank orange juice,) and we toasted to the newlyweds. Mike and Leah then had their first dance to Coldplay's "The Scientist." Afterwards, they cut their cake and fed each other a bite.

After that, everyone began dancing. I danced with Emmett for a while, but then we all traded partners. I danced with Mike, Edward, Seth, Jasper, Alice, Cynthia, Bella, and Leah.

Another slow song came on, and I danced with my head on Emmett's shoulders.

"You look beautiful," he told me.

"Thanks. This is really nice. I'm so happy for Leah and Mike. My ring looks great on Leah."

"Yeah, where did you get that?"

"It was my wedding ring," I said.

"Why were you still wearing it? I thought your husband died?"

"He did. I just never got rid of it. I'm happy it's gone. I can finally say goodbye to my old life for good. That includes Royce, my parents, and everything else that goes with it."

"Your parents?"

"I haven't spoken to them since I left Rochester. It's okay, I found a new family out here with everyone at the mansion."

"And me," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. Emmett stopped moving and let me go.

"Em, what are you doing?" I asked as he got down on one knee. "Rose, I know we haven't known each other very long. I mean, I've had hookups that have lasted longer than our relationship. But that's not the point. The point is, I love you. I'm not usually sure about this kind of thing, but I am sure about this. I've never been more sure about anything in my whole life. You are the most amazing woman I've ever met. You're smart, beautiful, sexy, and incredible. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have kids with you and grow old with you and never be apart from you. Will you marry me?"

I didn't hear the music anymore. I looked around and saw everyone staring at us. Alice and Cynthia were smiling at me, Bella had tears in her eyes, and Leah was leaning towards me, waiting for my answer.

"Emmett, are you sure? I mean, we just moved in together.

"I told you, I've never been more sure about anything in my life. I know you were married before and you might not want to get married again, but I just want everyone to know you're mine. I want the men who hit on you to know you already belong to someone. I want you to be mine."

I looked down at him. He was holding a ring out for me. It was gorgeous, with three large diamonds

Slowly, I extended my hand out to him and let him slide the ring onto my finger.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, smiling at me as everyone around us burst into applause.

**Okay, all the dresses and Rosalie's engagement ring are in my profile.**


	30. Chapter 29: Momma Drama

Chapter 29: Momma Drama

**AN: Thanks for the reviews. The next few chapters are going to be lacking on major drama, but it will return, I promise!**

BPOV

"You're kidding me, right? You _have_ to be kidding me! Because I think I'll lose my mind if Aro actually kidnapped you and tried to kill you!" Rosalie shrieked as all of us sat on Mike's deck.

"We're serious," I said. "It was yesterday. When I was talking to Edward on the phone, he came into my house and took me. I almost died in the process. Edward was lucky he got me out of there on time." I leaned against Edward's chest and sighed.

"If he's alive, can't the others be alive too? I mean, what if none of them died?" Leah asked uncertainly. "What's stopping them from coming after us?" She patted her stomach.

"I don't think so," Edward answered. "Aro said to me that I killed all the ones he loved. If any of them were alive, they would have been there with him. No, I think the rest of them are dead."

"And you're sure Aro's dead now?" Emmett asked.

Edward nodded. "I made sure of it. He's not coming back after that."

"Where is Jasper with the booze?" Mike asked. "He's been gone for over an hour!"

"He's probably getting mobbed by fan girls again," Alice sighed. "You should have seen the girl at Tiffany's when we went to get my ring. I honestly thought she was going to jump over the counter and kill me. She was shooting me death stares the entire time we were there."

I laughed. "I guess that's the price you get when you're engaged to one of the hottest actors in Hollywood."

"I guess," she sighed.

"So, when are you going to see Tanya?" I asked Edward.

"Tonight. She gets off work around 8, so I'm going over there at 9."

"What am I supposed to do while you're there? Sit in the car?"

"Umm, no," Alice said. "You can come back to Jasper's and hang with me. I told my parent's I'm staying there tonight. Cynthia will be there too."

I looked over at Cynthia, but she wasn't paying attention. Instead, she and Seth were sitting in the corner, making out.

"Hey!" Alice called over to them. They separated, and Cynthia looked at her sister, annoyed.

"What?"

"None of that! I don't want to see my sister mauling some guy in the corner of a room."

"Right, like and you and Jasper weren't doing that all last night. I can hear you through my walls," she said, smirking at Alice. Alice glared at her.

"Just cool it while other people are around."

"Fine," Cynthia sighed, leaning against Seth's shoulder.

"I'm back!" a voice called. A moment later, Jasper walked onto the deck with two bags filled with alcohol.

"Finally," Mike muttered. He reached into the bag and started pouring tequila shots for everyone except Leah, who was drinking apple juice. She looked at Mike and glared at him.

"What?" he said.

"If I'm not drinking, I don't think you should be either."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because it's your fault I'm like this."

"And the wedded bliss begins," Emmett laughed. Leah turned to him and shot him daggers. He shut up.

"Mike, turn the music back on!" I called to him, pulling Edward to his feet. I started dancing with Edward. Eventually, everyone else joined in.

Eventually, the sky turned dark, and it was time for us all to leave.

Emmett was supporting a staggering Rosalie as they walked to his car. Her hair was a mess and she kept tripping. Eventually, Emmett just picked her up and put her in the car.

Jasper, Alice, Seth, Cynthia, Edward, and I climbed into Jasper's car and drove back to his house. When we got there, Edward got out, grabbed his keys, and left to meet Tanya. Alice, Jasper, Cynthia, Seth, and I went inside.

"Jasper, do you have anything I could wear to bed?" I asked him. There was no way I was sleeping in what I was wearing.

"Here, you can borrow one of my tee- shirts," he said, tossing me an oversized shirt. I went into one of the spare rooms, slipped off the dress, and pulled Jasper's shirt on. It fell halfway down my thigh.

"Jasper, where are Edward and I sleeping?" I asked him, coming out of the room.

"You guys can sleep anywhere upstairs," he said. Alice was sitting with him on the couch. They were just about to put on a movie."

"Bella, stay!" Alice whined. "Watch the movie with us. We're going to watch _Sleepy Hollow _with Johnny Depp. I know you love that one. Pleeeease?"

"I think I'm just going to go to bed," I said. "I think I had a little too much to drink and I'm just starting to feel it now." I could feel my body swaying as I stood still. Or was the earth just moving really fast?

Alice's face fell slightly. "Okay, if you're sure. I'll see you in the morning." She lay in front of Jasper on the couch as I went upstairs to find a room.

I found a room to the left of the stairs. I climbed into the bed. I fell asleep, waiting for Edward.

********

EPOV

I made it to my and Tanya's house in record time. I got out of my car and walked to the door. Should I knock, or should I just walk in? Hey, it was still my house! I walked through the door.

"Tanya?" I called. This felt like de-ja-vu. Last time I walked into this house and called Tanya's name, I found her upstairs in our room, fucking another guy.

"I'm in the kitchen, Edward," she called. I walked into the kitchen and gasped.

Tanya was standing next to the kitchen table, wearing a skin-tight black leather dress. The dress was so tight that it showed off any imperfections a person had. Tanya had none.

"Hey baby," she said, greeting me. I gulped. This could not turn out well.

"Hi, Tanya."

"Why don't you sit down? I'm just finishing dinner. Here, let me get you a glass of wine." She opened the cabinet, grabbed a glass, and poured me some wine.

"Tanya, I don't really have time for dinner or wine or small talk. We need to talk."

"You're right," she said, moving closer to me. I shifted uncomfortably. Even though I loved Bella and not Tanya, Tanya still had the ability to make by body react. "Why don't we move this conversation to the bedroom?" she purred in my ear.

"No, Tanya, stop," I said, grabbing her arms and restraining her.

"What?" she said.

"Tanya, I don't love you anymore," I said to her. "Before I left, I said I wanted a divorce, and I still do."

"But why? I mean, we've only been married for a year!"

"Tanya, you cheated on me! You slept with someone else in my house!"

"So? You cheated on me. We're even."

"What are you talking about?" I said, trying to keep my voice level. How did she know about Bella?

"On the way back from work, I received a phone call from my mother, asking me what my husband was doing with Isabella Swan. I asked her what she was talking about, and she told me to look at the cover of _Us Weekly_." She tossed a magazine on the table. I looked at the cover.

There was a picture of me holding Bella with her arms wrapped around my neck under the headline, "The Doctor and the Stripper."

I stared at it, shocked. How did the media find out about this?

"I guess your personal life becomes tabloid gossip when you survive a plane crash," Tanya said in a cold voice. "You act like you're all better than me, but we're on the same level. In case you don't remember, we're still married."

"No, we're getting divorced," I reminded her. "There's a difference."

"Explain to me how me sleeping with someone else and you sleeping with someone else are different."

"When I caught you fucking someone else, we were happily married, or so I thought. When I met Bella, I had already filed for divorce. Our marriage was over. We were done. I was starting my life over with her."

"You decided to start your life over with a slut?" she spat at me with acid in her voice.

"Bella's not a slut!"

"Please! She was pregnant when she was a teenager. Sounds like a slut to me."

"Just because—hey, how did you know she was pregnant?"

"Your darling mistress is the mother of my adopted brother. My mom found the tramp through an adoption agency. She was knocked up by her skeevy boyfriend when she still in middle school. Explain to me how she isn't a slut."

"Just because she used to be like that doesn't mean she's like that anymore."

"She was engaged to someone who died on the crash and now three months later she's in a new relationship? She's a whore."

"At least she doesn't sleep with someone else while she's still married to someone else."

"What, like you do?"

"I'm going to ignore that," I said, reaching into my briefcase. I pulled out the divorce papers. "Sign so we can get this over with."

"You think I'm going to sign these without some kind of settlement? I'm entitled to half. That means half of everything." She smirked at me.

I sighed. She wasn't going to let this end without some kind of financial package. Tanya was accustomed to a certain lifestyle, and without me, she wouldn't be able to live like that anymore. I pulled out my checkbook, wrote a number on it, and signed the check.

"How's that? If you don't agree, we're both going to have to get lawyers and things could get ugly. Why don't we end this right here, right now." I handed her the check.

She looked at the check and thought for a minute. "Throw in the house in Scottsdale, and we have a deal."

"Sign," I said, pushing the paper towards her. She picked up the pen and signed her name.

"I'll send the deed to the Scottsdale house to your parent's place. I need you moved out of here by the end of the week," I said to her, grabbing my things and walking out of the door.

I was free. Finally free.

No more Tanya.

I was free to make my relationship with Bella official.

I hopped in my car and drove back to Jasper's place. When I walked in, he and Alice were making out on the couch while _Sleepy Hollow_ played in the background. I quietly snuck upstairs and searched for Bella in the many rooms.

I eventually found her sleeping in Jasper's "Movie Room." The room was decked out in posters from the many movies Jasper had worked on. I kicked off my shoes, pulled off my shirt and pants, and slid into the bed nest to Bella wearing my boxers and undershirt.

I wrapped my arms gently around her waist and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

She moaned softly and rolled over so she was facing me. She opened her eyes and stared at me sleepily. "How'd it go?" she asked.

"Your man is now officially back on the market," I said, holding up my now ring-free left hand.

She placed her hands on either side of my face and gave me a deep kiss. She pinned my shoulders on the mattress as she climbed on top of me. She had one leg on either side of my body.

I looked up and saw she was wearing one of Jasper's ratty old tees. With no bra. Thank the lord.

She pulled the shirt over her head, then bent back down to kiss me.

"I love you, Bella," I whispered into her ear as she hooked her thumbs inside the waistband of my boxers.

********

APOV

I woke up to my phone blaring "Toxic" by Britney Spears. I groaned, picked up my phone, and looked at the caller ID. Mom.

"Yeah?" I said sleepily as I answered the phone.

"Alice!" my mom scolded. "I've been calling you all morning."

"What do you need, Mom?"

"I wanted to tell you I set up an engagement party for you and Jasper. It's going to be this Friday at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 7 pm. Tell all your friends to come."

"Mom, do I really need one of these? I mean, what's the point?"

"The point? The point is for you to let everyone know about this. Then, of course, we have to plan the shower and the wedding. I'm thinking an elegant church followed by an outdoor reception."

"Mom? I want to get married on the beach," I said. It was true. The island was where Jasper and I fell in love. Since we couldn't get married there, I wanted to get married on the closest thing to it. That was the beach.

"The beach? Honey, I don't know."

"Mom, this is_ my_ wedding, not yours, and I want to get married on the beach."

"Well, we'll talk about this later. Now, am I going to see you before Friday or are you going to be at Jasper's?"

"I'll be back later to get some clothes, but I'm going to be spending most of my time here."

"Okay, honey. I'll see you later, then."

"Bye, Mom." I hung up my phone. I looked next to me and saw Jasper was still sleeping. He looked so peaceful in his bed. I quietly got out of bed and walked into his kitchen.

Bella was sitting at the table, drinking coffee, as Edward made her breakfast.

"Morning," I greeted them as I poured myself a cup of coffee. "So, what are you guys doing Friday?"

"Nothing," Bella said, reading the paper. "Why?"

"My mom's throwing Jasper and I an engagement party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and you two are cordially invited."

"An engagement party?" Bella asked. "What's that?"

"It's where I announce my engagement to everyone, and they bring me gifts and stuff like that. There's going to be food, music, dancing, and plenty of alcohol."

"Okay, we're there," Edward said, flipping a pancake.

********

"You ready for this?" I asked Jasper as the two of us walked into the hotel, hand in hand. Jasper looked very nice in his new black suit. He paired it with a gold tie to match my dress. I was wearing a gold lace dress that had three-quarter length sleeves. I wore it with black lace stockings, black pumps, and a gold headband.

We walked into the ballroom, and everyone started clapping when they saw us. There was a large sign that read, "Congratulations, Alice and Jasper!" There was a band playing music, and a buffet table with food. Off in the corner there was an open bar. I looked over and saw Emmett and Edward there, doing shots. Surprise, surprise.

"Alice!" Bella squealed, running up to me and giving me a big hug. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Thanks, Bella. I see your boyfriend wasted no time in finding the bar," I said, pointing to Emmett and Edward. She rolled her eyes.

"I know. He's going to make a fool of himself. Well, then maybe the tabloids will report on him being a drunken fool instead of me being a home wrecking whore." She sighed.

"It'll die down eventually," I said.

"That's not it," she said.

"What?"

"It's just, I knew his wife. I met her when I was a teenager. I knew her whole family. They were the nicest people I've ever met, and I feel terrible. I mean, I basically broke up a marriage. My dad hasn't spoken to me since I moved in with Edward. My life's a mess."

"It will get better. It won't last forever."

She smiled at me, then looked over at the people dancing. "Cynthia looks like she's having fun."

I looked over and saw my sister dancing with Seth.

"Well, she really loves him. My parents aren't too happy about it." I looked over at my mom and dad, looking sourly as Seth twirled Cynthia around.

"I don't think they're exactly thrilled that you're marrying me," Jasper said.

"They like you," I said, kissing him on the nose. "They're not happy with me for getting engaged at 20. My dad wanted me to go to college, get a business degree, and then run the company when he can't anymore." I leaned against Jasper as we watched everyone having fun.

"Ali, you can still do that."

"Eh, running a business really isn't my kind of thing. I'll let Cynthia take it over instead. She's better at that stuff, anyways. I'd rather start my own fashion line"

Just then, a group of girls a little older than me came up to us. They all had blond hair, long legs, and big boobs. In other words, they were the opposite of me. They ignored me, and all turned their attention to Jasper.

"Congratulations," the one purred at Jasper while giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, congratulations," the others said, making their voices sex and irresistible. It was like being back in the jewelry store all over again.

"Ladies, this is my fiancée, Alice," Jasper said, pulling me closer to his side.

"Nice to meet you," the one said in a clipped voice while glaring at me. Her friends were all giving me the evil eye. They congratulated Jasper again, then stalked away.

I sighed. "I guess it's always going to be like that," I said.

"What do you mean?' Jasper asked.

"I mean that girls are always going to be glaring at me and shooting me death stares when I'm with you. They can't understand why someone like you is with someone like me."

He looked at me, confused.

"They expect you to be with someone like them. Someone tall, blond, and with big breasts, instead of me, who is short, pale, flat-chested, and has spiky black hair."

"Alice, I love you. I don't care what you look like. You're the sweetest, kindest, and most genuine person I've ever met. If other people can't understand that, well screw them." He leaned down and planted a kiss on my lips.

"C'mon, let's go dance," I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out to the dance floor. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled his body close to mine. He placed his hands on my hips as I swayed side to side against him.

"Hey Alice, Jasper," Seth said, coming to dance beside us with Cynthia. She smiled at me, then turned her attention back to Seth. He spun her around in a circle, then pulled her close to him.

"You know Mom and Dad have been glaring at you the entire time we've been here," I told her.

"I know," she sighed. "They don't like that I'm dating someone who's not in their social circle or whatever. It's not fair. Esme loves Bella and Rosalie!"

I laughed. She was right. Edward and Emmett had introduced their parents to Bella and Rosalie this past week, and they had loved them. In fact, the three of them were working together to plan Rosalie and Emmett's wedding. Bella was going to be Rosalie's maid of honor, so she was a major part in the planning. Rosalie had already asked me to be a bridesmaid, so in addition to planning my own wedding, I was helping Rosalie with hers.

Granted, Rosalie was aiming to get married in March while I wanted a summer wedding, but it was still a lot to do.

"So is Mom driving you crazy with wedding plans yet?" Cynthia asked.

"No. I haven't given her the chance. I've been at Jasper's all week, remember? That hasn't stopped her from stalking me on the phone," I grumbled.

"Hey, it's your wedding! Just tell her you want to do it your way, not hers," Cynthia said.

"Do you honestly think that's going to stop her?" I asked.

"Eh, probably not, but it's worth a try."

I shook my head and laughed.

After Jasper and I had danced for a while, we joined Edward, Bella, and the rest of the group over at their table. They were all looking at something when we sat down.

"What's that?" I asked them.

"Ultrasound," Leah said, handing me a picture. I looked at it and saw a tiny baby. I looked at it for a minute.

"Wait, is that a—?"

"—penis," Leah said, nodding. "We're having a boy." Mike reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Oh, Leah, that's wonderful," I said, rushing to her side and giving her a big hug.

"When are you due?" Jasper asked.

"End of March," she said. "Which means I'll be nice and big for your wedding, Rose."

Rosalie smiled at her. "Eh, who cares. Just as long as you'll still be a bridesmaid for me."

"And me," I added.

"What about you two?" Rosalie said, turning to Edward and Bella. "Are you guys going to get married along with the rest of us?"

Edward looked like he was going to say something, but Bella cut him off. "Rose, Edward _just_ got divorced. Plus. I was just engaged three months ago. We're going to wait and see how this thing turns out." She turned and gave Edward a kiss.

"Yeah, we're waiting." I saw the look in Edward's eye. He was lying.

He didn't want to wait. He wanted to marry her.


	31. Chapter 30: Honor and Respect

Chapter 30: Honor and Respect

**AN: Again, thanks to all my reviewers. I feel like I'm repeating myself, but you guys are amazing. It's because of you that I keep writing!**

RPOV

"You ready?" I asked Emmett. He nodded, and the two of us walked into the Omni Hotel in downtown LA. We found our way to the wedding reception room, and took a seat at the front table. We were the first ones there. I saw the hotel staff had set up a podium especially for the occasion.

All around the room, there were photos hanging. I saw Carmen, Sam, Emily, and all the other people we had lived with hanging on the walls, along with all the others who had perished on the plane.

Emmett looked over at me. "Rose, you know I think you're beautiful and the sexiest woman alive, but couldn't you have worn something a little more demure? I mean, this _is_ a memorial service."

"This is the most demure thing I own," I said. "Em, I was a Playboy model. Everything I own is either skin tight, low cut, short, or all three. This was the most modest dress I own." I was wearing a knee-length black dress, which wasn't so bad. The problem was, it was skin-tight and it had a v-neck, which meant everyone was able to see how much cleavage I had.

Emmett sighed. "Don't you have a sweater you could put on?"

I shook my head.

"Rose, the families of all the people who died are going to be here to honor and pay respect to their deceased relatives. Couldn't you have gone out and bought a new dress?"

"Emmett, I didn't have time. The airline called yesterday to tell us about this. I'm lucky I found this or I'd have been wearing jeans and a tee-shirt."

Just then, Edward and Bella walked in. Edward was wearing a suit while Bella was in a conservative black dress. It was knee-length, but it was loose and came up to her collarbone. She had paired her dress with a closed-toe black heel while I wore five-inch stilettos.

I saw Bella was crying when she and Edward made it up to the table.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I asked her, worried.

"Charlie," Edward said.

Oh, Charlie.

"What happened?"

"She called him to see if he was coming, and he said some not very nice things to her," Edward said.

"He called me a whore! He said he should have kicked me out when I got pregnant in high school, and that he wasn't surprised I did something like this. He said—he said he never wanted to talk to me again. Then, he hung up!" Bella burst into a new round of tears.

I walked over to her and pulled her into a big hug. "Bella, I understand what it's like not being able to talk to your family. I haven't spoken to my parents or my siblings in over three years. I hope it's different for you. Once everything with the whole Edward-Tanya-you thing clears up, Charlie will realize he was wrong and he'll talk to you again. Until then, you need to give him space."

"But he's my only family," Bella said in between sobs.

"You have us, Bella," Emmett said. "We'll always be here for you, no matter what the tabloids say."

She smiled at him. "I'm being silly," she said, wiping away her tears.

"No you're not. You're just a girl who wants her dad. He'll come around, I promise," I said, giving her hand a squeeze. "By the way, you look lovely."

"Thanks. You look nice too."

"She looks like a Playboy model," Emmett said. I turned and glared at him.

"No, she looks beautiful," Bella said. "I couldn't pull that look off at a memorial service, but it looks right on you."

I gave her a big smile, then got up off the floor and sat back down next to Emmett.

The doors opened again, and Mike, Leah, and Seth came in. Leah's stomach was growing larger by the day. She was four months pregnant now, but the extra weight looked good on her.

Leah had a knee-length dress on with long sleeves. It fell gracefully around her large stomach. Mike walked next to her in a black suit, while Seth followed them in a suit identical to Mike's.

"Hey, guys," Leah greeted us. "Are we the last ones here?"

"No. Jasper and company are still M.I.A." Emmett said.

"Isn't there supposed to be an airline person here to start the service?"

"I think she's outside. Edward and I saw that woman, Amaya Tanaka, outside talking on her phone when we walked in."

At that minute, Jasper, Alice, and Cynthia came running in followed by Amaya Tanaka. Alice was in a black shirt, a high-waisted grey skirt with black tights and pair of black Mary Janes. Cynthia had on a black pencil skirt with a shirt-sleeved blazer with a white shirt underneath, and Jasper had on a suit. **(Check out Rosalie, Bella, Leah, Alice, and Cynthia's outfits in my profile.)**

"Sorry we're late," Alice said. "We had to _wait_ for someone to get her ass moving." She glared at Cynthia.

"Sorry, but Mom was ironing my skirt!"

"Why didn't you have her do that last night?"

"I forgot."

Alice sighed as the three of them took their seats at the table.

Amaya Tanaka stood in front of us. "Now that everyone is here, I can tell you what's going to happen. In a few minutes, we're going to let in all the family and friends of the deceased. We thought it would be appropriate if one of you could say something in honor of the victims of the crash. I know you didn't know them, but maybe you could say something nice in honor of their memories. We thought Mrs. Newton and Mr. Clearwater might want to say something about their parents, and Ms. Swan might want to mention Mr. Black."

"Is his father going to be here?" Bella asked.

"Yes. Mr. Black had said he was planning on attending. After that, we're going to open the mic to allow the families to share memories of the people they lost. I think it will be a lovely ceremony. Are you all comfortable speaking?"

"Yes, that's fine. We'll all say a few words on behalf of the deceased," Edward said. We all nodded in agreement.

She went and opened the doors to the room. A large group of people filed in and sat down at all the empty tables filling the room. At least our table was in the mass of tables instead of facing the tables like the press conference.

After everyone was seated, Amaya went to the podium and spoke to the crowd.

"Thank you all for attending this service. On May 21st, many of us lost people close to our hearts. 257 people were killed that day. While they may be gone from the earth, they will never be gone from our hearts. We remember them daily, with our thoughts, prayers, and memories.

When so many died, ten lucky people survived. They are here today to mourn with the rest of you. Among them, they lost friends, parents, and partners. We're going to let them speak first, then open the mic to everyone else."

She stepped away, and Edward took the stand first.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Edward Cullen. While I can't say I know how you all must be feeling, I can sympathize with you. On that day, you probably wok up, and were planning on fetching your spouses, siblings, or parents from the airport. I doubt any of you thought that when they called you to tell you they were leaving Japan, it would be the last time you spoke to them.

Everyone on flight 2232 was a wonderful human being. They were kind, generous, and all around good people. I didn't personally know them, but seeing the number of people that showed up to honor them, they had to have been great. I met a few before we crashed, and would like to take this time to remember them. Sam and Emily Uley, you were so in love, it made all the people sitting by you jealous. You were willing to sacrifice your own life to save others. You will be missed. Garrett Hoboken and Katie Roberts, you were two people I barely knew. I saw you in the airport, and you were kind enough to say hello. Your infectious optimism will be missed. I wish I could have saved you." I saw Edward wipe away a tear before he walked back to his seat and sat down.

********

BPOV

I got up next and went to the podium.

"Thank you for that, Edward. I know there is not a single dry eye here, including those watching us from above. I'm Bella Swan, and I'd like to say a few words about someone very close to me who perished during the flight. Now, I know many of you have read many things about me in the tabloids recently. I want you to put any opinions you may have of me aside for today so we can all mourn together."

I took a deep breath and continued. "On the flight, I was with my fiancé, Jacob Black. Jacob and I were together for almost four years before he died. I loved him very much and was devastated when he died. In fact, I would barely speak to anyone for a week after his death. I know I haven't spoken about him before, but I am going to today. He was a big part of my life, and it would be an insult to his memory to not talk about it."

I wiped the tears out of my eyes and got ready to continue. I was finally going to talk about Jacob's death. "Jacob and I were sitting next to each other on the plane when we hit turbulence. After the plane split in half, it was chaos. We didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know who was alive, and who was dead. Jacob stood up, and something shot back into the plane from the explosion. I watched him take a piece of metal to the head."

I paused because I was crying. I took a few deep breaths, then continued. "I stayed with Jacob as the plane rocked around us as he took his final breaths. Jacob died in my arms on the plane. Jacob was a kind and gentle person. He saved my life in more ways than he ever knew. After he met me, he spent six months trying to convince me to go out with him. I know his father listened to him complain for six months about the waitress at the club who wouldn't give him the time of day. Once I finally said yes, I never said no again. Jacob took me from a terrible waitressing job and gave me the life many girls only dream of.

He helped me become a better person. His positive outlook on life was contagious to all those around him. He treated others with respect, even if they didn't return the favor. He was willing to give people second chances, even when they didn't deserve it. He gave people the benefit of the doubt when it was obvious they were guilty. He treated everyone fairly, and never judged people because of their age, gender, race, or other disadvantages. He was a wonderful person. He saved, in more ways than one, but in the end, I couldn't save him. Jacob, I miss you. I will always miss you. You will live in my heart until the day I die. Thank you."

I walked back to my seat as the tears slid down my face. It was so hard to talk about Jacob, even all these months later. I sat down, and Edward took my hand. He gave me a kiss on the cheek as I continued to cry.

Next, Leah and Seth got up and walked to the podium.

"Hi. I'm Leah Newton and this is my younger brother, Seth Clearwater. Harold and Susan Clearwater were our parents. Now, people assume what when we say parents, we mean we are related by blood to Harry and Sue."

"That's not the truth," Seth chimed in. "When we were younger, we had different parents. We were abused and mistreated. It finally ended one day when Leah called the police and they took us away from there forever."

"Seth and I could have ended up rotting in an orphanage for the rest of our lives, but Harry and Sue found us. They took us in, and eventually made us part of their family by adopting us. They couldn't have kids on their own—Sue had had ovarian cancer when she was younger, but had her ovaries removed before the cancer could spread. This made it impossible for her and her husband to ever reproduce."

"People may think that because we weren't related, they didn't love us like someone loves their biological child. That's not true. Harry and Sue treated us like loving parents treats their kids. Dad coached me in Little League every year. We even won the championship game two years in a row."

"Mom and I had a shopping date once a month. We would go the mall, and she would always get me something new. When I got older, she was there for advice on friends, boys, dating, dances, and life. She told me it was okay that Liz was mad at me—she was just jealous that Chris liked me better. She told me not to kiss on the first date—if I did, the boy would think I was easy and not girlfriend material. She said it was okay if I didn't go out every weekend in high school—I would use the time to study and get into a good college. She was there for every step of my life as a friend, a confidant, a mom."

"Dad always knew how to make me laugh. He had the stupidest jokes that weren't even funny, but I always laughed at them anyways. He also taught me many things in life. He taught me how to throw a killer curve ball and how to pick up girls. He taught me how to do long division without getting confused and why the Red Sox would never win the World Series—he was wrong about that."

I heard a few people the crowd chuckle, but a lot of people were crying.

Seth continued. "He taught me how to be a better person, and to always treat a lady like you would treat your mother. Maybe that's why I never kissed a girl until I was 15. He taught me to respect all of God's creatures, no matter how insignificant they might seem."

"At night, I sometimes lay awake, thinking about them. My husband could tell you all about the many restless nights, where I go over and over the accident, wondering what I could have done to prevent it. I wish I had taken one of the seats in the rear of the plane instead of them. That way, they would still be here. Harold and Susan Clearwater, you were the best parents two kids could ask for. You treated us like your own, and didn't care that we didn't share the same blood line. Mom, you were my best friend. Dad, you helped me through hospital visits, bad report cards, and broken hearts. I love you, and I miss you." Leah wiped away a tear.

"Mom, you were the coolest mom. All my friends agreed that you were the best. You made the best brownies, and always had them for me when I was sad. Dad, you were wise beyond your years. It was like you were 99, not 49. You had the experiences of a thousand men, and you always had a story to tell. You were the best parents I could ever hope to have, and you can never be replaced. I love you."

Seth and Leah gave each other a hug, then walked back to the table and took a seat. Leah wiped away the tears that were pouring out of her eyes. Cynthia put her hand on Seth's back as he tried to get control of his emotions.

Amaya walked back to the podium. "We're now going to open up the microphone for anyone who would like to share memories about the people they lost in this tragedy." She walked away, and a few people got up.

People I had never met began sharing memories they had about their sons, their daughters, their husbands, and their wives. Carmen's sister came up and spoke about how she was a kind person to everyone. She told a story about how Carmen had found a baby bird on the ground and nursed it back to health. Once she released it, the bird still came back every day.

Charlotte's father told everyone how she and Peter had met in high school, and he had been her one true love. He said how after their first date, when she was only 14, she told him, "Daddy, that's the boy I'm going to marry." Eight years later, she did. He said that even though he was sad she was gone, he knew she died happy, being with the only man she ever loved.

Benjamin's fiancé got up and told everyone about the time she met him. They both worked for the same sales company—she was a receptionist, he was a sales man who sat right in front of her desk. On her first day, he walked up to her and told her that don't ask him how he knew it, but there was a spider in her yogurt. She looked in, and there it was. She was in love with him from that point on.

Maggie's husband told us about the time she locked herself out of the house in only a towel. She had showered and had just gotten out when someone knocked on the door. She went outside to see, but no one was there. When she tried to go back inside, she saw that the door had shut and locked. She ended up having to call him at work from her neighbor's house. He had to drive back and let her in. Ten years later, he still made fun of her for it.

I stopped wiping away my tears and just let them flow. I heard family members tell stories about people I had lived with for months. It made me realize how much I didn't know about them. I remember how Maggie used to say how much she missed her husband, but I never knew that they had been married for 12 years. I never knew that they had met at a bowling alley because they were on the same bowling team.

I knew Charlotte and Peter were married, but I never knew anything else. I never knew Peter was Charlotte's first and only kiss, boyfriend, and love.

Benjamin used to talk about how his fiancé was the most beautiful woman in the world, but I never knew how much he truly adored her. She said how when she was sick one time, he skipped work and spent the day with her, watching old movies and nursing her back to health.

When she was home, Carmen ran her own business. She made stylish clothing for people with disabilities at affordable prices. She also donated a lot of clothes to other organizations for children who couldn't afford to buy their own.

Listening to the family members speak, I realized I had spent months on an island with an incredible group of people. From high school sweethearts to business owners, the other passengers of flight 2232 were one-of-a-kind.

After the memorial service ended, Edward and I walked out of the hotel and back to the car to head back to our house. It was "our" house now since I was living there with him.

We passed by the gardens in the front, when Edward suddenly stopped. I turned back to look at him. He had dropped to his knees and was tying his shoe.

"C'mon, Edward," I said, exasperated. "Let's go home."

"Hold on a minute," he said annoyed. After he fixed his shoe, he didn't rise. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.

He held the box in front of me and opened it. Inside, there was a beautiful diamond ring.

"Marry me."


	32. Chapter 31: Showers Bring Flowers

Chapter 31: Showers Bring Flowers

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I love you guys! And sorry for the sadness last chapter—I just thought it was needed in the story. Oh, and this chapter takes place over about 6 months. It starts in October and ends in March. Leah's section is in early February.**

BPOV

"Marry me."

I looked down at Edward, kneeling in front of me, holding a box with a beautiful engagement ring inside of it. He had a look of excitement and nervousness in his eyes.

Why was he doing this? We decided to wait a while before getting engaged. The tabloids were still printing horrible stories about me, and this would send them into overdrive. I didn't know how much more of it I could take.

Plus, I was going to go back to school. Edward helped me get into USC—I had always been smart, but I never had money to go to college. I was going to start school in the spring semester, but how did getting engaged and planning a wedding fit into that equation?

"No."

"Why not?" he asked, looking at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was.

"Edward, we said we were going to wait! I don't consider a month waiting. Look, I love you, but now isn't the best time for us to get engaged! The tabloids are saying all this nasty stuff about me, my dad isn't speaking to me, and I'm starting school again in January! How do you expect me to plan a wedding with everything else going on?"

"Bella, I know like it seems the whole world is against you, but it won't be forever. Just because we're getting engaged now doesn't mean we have to get married tomorrow. I love you more than anything else in the world. You are the most important thing to me, so I won't let anything get in the way of our happiness. If you say yes, I promise we don't have to actually get married until you want to. That can be five months from now, or five years. It doesn't matter to me, just as long as people know you're mine. So, will you marry me?"

He was still kneeling on the sidewalk, looking up at me. How did he do that? How did he so easily get his way?

"Yes."

A huge smile split onto Edward's face. He jumped to his feet, threw his arms around me, and pulled me into the biggest kiss I had ever received.

"Edward," I mumbled against his lips. "There are other people here." He pulled away and looked around. Sure enough, there were a bunch of people, staring at us. Over to the side, I could see Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Mike, Leah, Seth, and Cynthia standing in a group, watching us. I grabbed Edward's hand and we walked over to them.

"We're—"

"—engaged. We know. We saw the whole thing. Congrats, you guys!" Leah said, hugging me and Edward.

"Yeah, welcome to the club," Rosalie said as she and Alice held up their left hands with their rings. "Let's see yours."

"Oh, right," Edward said, taking the ring out of the box. He gently slid it onto my left hand, then kissed the top of my hand. I looked down at the ring—it was stunning.

Alice grabbed my hand as she and Rosalie stared at the ring.

"Vintage Cartier. Very nice," Alice said to Edward, approving.

"Okay, can I have my hand back?" I said to Alice and Rosalie, who were still examining my ring. I pulled my arm to my side and slid my hand into Edward's.

We walked back to his car and drove home. Except we went a different way than normal. And this was not our house he was pulling into!

"Edward, where are we?" I said.

"Carlisle and Esme's home. I thought we should probably tell them before they find out on the news about us getting engaged."

I sighed. "Oh, alright. By the way, have you even contacted the hospital about starting your residency again?" I asked him as we walked into his parent's home.

"Uh, not yet. I was going to talk to Carlisle about it."

"Why would you need to talk to your dad about it?"

"Because he's the chief of surgery at the hospital."

"Oh." Apparently success ran in the family. How was I ever going to fit in with them?

"Carlisle? Esme?" Edward called as we walked into the grand house. I had already met Edward's parents many times, and his mother loved me, but that was before we decided to get married.

"Edward!" Esme called, walking down the stairs and embracing her youngest son. "And you brought Bella!" she exclaimed, kissing me on both cheeks. "It's so nice to see you again, dear."

"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Cullen."

"Bella, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Esme? Now come on," she said, grabbing my hand. "Carlisle's in the kitchen, having a late lunch. Why don't you two join us?"

I looked back at Edward and shrugged my shoulders. He followed behind Esme and I.

Edward and I took a seat at the table while Esme had their cook serve us lunch: a salad with chicken for me and salmon for Edward.

"So, what brings you two over? Not that I am unhappy to see you," she added.

"Well, we have some news we wanted to share with you before you hear it from one of your gossiping friends," Edward said.

"What is it, son?" Carlisle asked, looking up from the file he was reading. It looked like the doctor brought his work home with him.

"We're getting married," he said.

Esme clapped her hands together, then rushed over to my side and pulled me out of my chair into a big hug.

"Oh, Edward, this is wonderful! Bella, I'll be so happy to have you as a daughter!"

"Uh, thanks Esme," I choked out.

"Have you told your father yet?" she asked.

"No," I said, looking at the ground. Esme released me and looked curiously at me.

"Well, are you two going up to Forks to tell him?" she asked.

"No," I mumbled.

"Why on earth not? Bella, what's wrong?" she asked me, putting her finger under my chin and lifting my face so my eyes met hers. I was embarrassed to realize I was crying. Quickly, I wiped away the tears that managed to escape.

"We're not speaking," I said, before breaking down into tears. Edward rushed to my side and pulled me into his arms.

"Why not? What happened?" Esme asked, concerned.

"After the whole Tanya debacle, Charlie's refusing to talk to her. When she called him, he had some unpleasant words for her, and told her he doesn't want to see her." I sobbed harder into Edward's chest when he said that.

"Bella, everything's going to be okay," Esme said calmly, smoothing my hair. "He'll come around. Until then, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here for you." I looked up at Esme and saw her looking kindly at me.

"Thanks," I whispered, wiping away my tears.

"So, onto wedding plans. When do you want to get married? I would advise against a winter wedding, but if you want, I—"

"Mom," Edward said. It was the first time I had heard him call her by anything besides her first name.

"Yes, dear?"

"We don't know when we're getting married yet. We haven't set a date or anything. We just decided that eventually, we're going to get married."

"Edward, you need to pick a date! These things take time to plan! I need to know when so I can book the place for the reception, I need to plan the wedding shower, we need to go dress shopping, and then there's the cake, the flowers, the bridesmaids—"

"Esme, you don't need to worry about that," I said. "I can take care of everything. Besides, I don't want a big social event."

"Yeah, we want to keep it small," Edward added, squeezing my hand. "Just our family and close friends. That's it."

"Well, we have plenty of time to talk about this later," Esme said, picking up the phone and walking away.

"How much do you want to bet she's not going to listen to us?" I asked.

"100 bucks says she invites everyone she knows to this," Edward whispered in my ear. "Oh, Carlisle," Edward said to his father.

"Yes?"

"Is there any way I can start my residency up again without having to start over?"

He thought for a moment. "Stop by the hospital tomorrow and we'll figure something out," he said, smiling at Edward.

"Awesome. Thanks. Well, we're going to go now. It was nice to see you Carlisle. Tell Esme we said we'll talk to her later."

"Can do."

Edward and I walked back to his car and drove home.

********

LPOV

"We're home," Mike said, opening my car door and helping me out. At 7 months pregnant, it was getting difficult for me to move around.

"I don't understand why you want to bring me out in public when I'm this big," I grumbled to him as we made our way up the front porch and into the house. Mike had decided to take me out to breakfast this morning, completely out of the blue. I didn't like being seen by people now that I was as round as Humpty-Dumpty.

"Seth?" I called when we walked in the house, but everything was quiet. Too quiet. What was going on?

"Surprise!" everyone shouted, jumping out from behind furniture, walls, and out of doorways. I looked around, shocked.

"What's going on?" I asked Mike. It wasn't my birthday, or his birthday. It was weird.

"It's a surprise baby shower for you!" Alice squealed, coming up to me.

"Yeah. We decided you needed one since you haven't bought _anything_ for the baby yet. And since you're so stressed about the baby, we thought we'd throw it for you!" Bella exclaimed.

I looked around and saw Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Jasper, Cynthia, and Seth were all standing there, smiling at me.

"You—you guys did this all for me?"

They nodded.

"Plus," Emmett added, "We called in some favors." He pointed to a group of girls standing next to the couch.

Wait, I recognized them…

"Taylor!" I screamed. "Sophie! Kim! What are you guys doing here?" It was my three best friends from back in Seattle."

"Well, if you'll believe it, Emmett Cullen, the famous football player, called us last week, asking us if we could fly down here for a party for you. He even sent his private plane to pick us up!" Taylor squeaked.

"Yeah, so last night, we flew down. Leah, we wouldn't miss this for the world!"

"Aww, you guys are the best," I said, hugging my three friends.

There were people everywhere. I recognized some of the guys from Mike's football team (they were all glaring at Emmett), his coaches, some of my old co-workers, and all of our friends.

"Okay, the parents-to-be sit up here," Alice said, pulling Mike and me by the hand and forcing us onto the couch. "And now we're going to open the gifts!" Alice said.

"Alice, I didn't register for anything!" I hissed at her.

"It's okay. Mike did it for you with our help," she said, pointing to herself, Bella, and Rosalie. I let out a sigh of relief. If the three of them helped, I would get everything we needed for the baby.

The guys from Mike's football team went first. They got me everything for the nursery, including a crib, bedding, books, rocking chair, and decorations. Everything was sports themed.

"Hmm, I wonder what theme you registered for," I said to Mike.

He smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

"Thank you, guys," I said to Mike's team.

"Wait, we have one more thing," Mike's coach said, handing me a box. I opened it and pulled out an Eagle's jersey. On the front was the number 00."

"Uh, thanks," I said.

"Look on the back."

I flipped it over and laughed. Where the name was, it said, "Little Newton."

"See, now your son can be a part of the team too."

"Thank you guys. Thank you so much," I said, getting up and giving each of his teammates a hug. I sat back down next to Mike and opened the rest of the gifts. My old co-workers all chipped in and bought me a nice stroller.

"Wow, thanks guys," I said, looking at the stroller. "You didn't have to get me this!"

"It was no problem. I just hope your son is as hard a worker as you," Lillian, my old boss, said, smiling.

Next was Taylor, Sophie, and . They got me a blue infant carrier/ car seat, everything I needed for the bathroom, including a bath, towels, a robe, and toys, and a baby swing.

"Wow, thanks," I said, getting up and hugging each of them. "You guys seriously got me too much!"

"Nothing's too much for our best friend!" Sophie said.

"Or her future son," Taylor said.

I smiled at them and sat back down. The rest of my friends got me clothes, toys, stuffed animals, diapers, and a high chair for the baby. Last was everyone from the crash.

Alice, Cynthia, and Jasper were first. I opened theirs, and saw the baby bag that I had wanted ever since I saw it in Kate Spade on Rodeo Drive, but I wouldn't buy it because it was way too expensive. I mean, 300 dollars for a diaper bag? Alice, of course, saw nothing wrong with that. It was black with a green bottom. On the front of the bag, there was a white turtle embroidered. I looked in the bag and saw it was filled with diapers, bottles, and formula.

"Alice!" I gasped, "This is way too much!"

"Oh, please," she sighed. "I knew you wanted it, but you would never buy it for yourself, so Jasper, Cynthia, and I got it for you, with some extra supplies."

"I—I—I don't know what to say!"

"Say thanks and be done with it."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Okay, enough groveling," Bella said. "Open ours next!" she demanded, pushing a large box towards me. She also handed me a smaller box. I opened the smaller one first. Inside, there was a lot of blue. I pulled out about ten different outfits for the baby.

"Thanks, Bella and Edward."

"Hey, open the bigger one," Bella said, pushing the box towards me. I opened it and saw a bassinet inside.

"Thank you so much. You guys seriously spoil me!"

"Hey, don't be like that. We're your friends. I know you'd do the same for me."

I smiled at her. She was right.

"Okay, we're next," Rosalie said, walking forward with Emmett behind her, carrying a large box.

"Please tell me you didn't get him anything with the Giants logo," Mike joked. "I don't think I could stand the shame if my son became a Giants fan."

"Ha ha," Emmett laughed sarcastically. "Here, open it," he said, placing it on the ground. Mike opened it for me, and inside, there was a large toy chest.

"We figured he's either going to be spoiled with lots of toys by his parents and pseudo aunts and uncles, so he'll need somewhere to put the toys in. Plus, it's sports themed—look," she said, pointing to the box. Sure enough, the picture of the toy chest showed that a football was engraved on the lid.

"Thank you guys," I said, giving them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Last, Mike's parents and Seth walked forward with a few boxes. They had gotten me a mobile entertainer, a green bouncer, a potty, and a teddy bear.

"Mike had one just like it when he was a baby," Mike's mother said, "So I thought my future grandson would like one too."

"Thank you so much, Karen, Todd, and Seth. It means so much to me."

"Leah, you're part of our family now." Mike's mother came up and gave me a big hug. For the first time since my parents died, I finally had a family.

********

RPOV

"What about this one, Rose?" Bella asked, holding up another white dress.

"Eww, no. Get it away from me!" I shrieked, pushing the dress away from me.

"Can't you just try it on?" she asked.

"No. I am not walking down the aisle in _that_ to marry the man of my dreams. I need the perfect dress, and we _still_ haven't found it!" I sunk down into the chair in the fitting room we were in. Esme, my future mother-in-law, Bella, Alice, Leah, and Cynthia were all there with me. In addition to getting a wedding gown, we were getting bridesmaid dresses too.

"What about this one?" Alice asked, holding up a tea-length silk dress.

"No," I snapped at her. She looked taken aback by my tone. I didn't care if I hurt her feelings, I was just really frustrated. "I said no short dresses!"

"Rose, there's no need to act like a bitch towards everyone," Bella said, glaring at me.

"Well, you try finding a dress when you're getting married in three weeks!"

"Rose, I think I found the perfect dress!" Cynthia said, sprinting back into the room with an excited look on her face.

"You said that about the last four dresses you brought me!"

"No, this one is seriously perfect. The lady's bringing it back." Right when she said that, the sales lady brought in a long, white gown. The top of it was fitted with diamonds sewn into the bodice. It had a full, layered skirt and a long train. It was strapless and made of silk. It was perfect.

"Oh, it's stunning," I said, barely able to speak.

"Here, try it on," Cynthia said, shoving the dress into my hands. A minute later, I walked back out to show everyone.

"Rose, you look amazing!" Alice gasped. "Not many people could pull off a dress like that, but it's like it was made for you. You have to get it!"

I looked at myself in the mirror, and I had to agree, Alice was right. It was the perfect dress for me.

"Okay, I'm getting this one," I said to everyone. They all cheered.

"Finally," Bella muttered. "Now we can move onto the bridesmaid dresses."

"I already picked out the ones I want," I told them. I nodded at the sales lady, and she brought in the dress I had decided on last week. It was a knee-length midnight blue dress made out of silk. The top hid the cleavage, but the skirt was flowy and roomy, so Leah could still wear it, even though she was 8 months pregnant. **(Check the wedding dress and bridesmaid dress pictures in my profile.)**

"Oh, wow!" Alice gasped.

"Rose, I love it!" Bella said.

"Will it fit me?" Leah asked.

"Of course it will. I gave Marcia your measurements, so she already had the dresses made. Now all you need to do is try them on," I told my bridesmaids. Esme smiled at me, happy to see I had actually planned ahead.

The dresses fit Alice, Bella, and Cynthia perfectly, but it was too tight on Leah.

"I can't believe you grew that much in two weeks!" I said.

"Not a problem," Marcia, the sales lady said. "We'll just let it out a little bit and it will fit perfectly."

Leah sighed and pulled her clothes back on. I knew she wasn't happy about everyone seeing her like this. Plus, all the major tabloid magazines were bidding on my wedding photos. After all, the JAL Ten were still major news.

I had already had my wedding shower. The only thing I had left was actually getting married. I was thrilled.

********

"Wake up, Rose," Bella said, nudging me. I opened my eyes and saw her standing over me with curlers in her hair. "Alice is downstairs, breathing fire. She told me she needs three hours to do your hair and makeup, and we need to be at the church in five. Get down there before she kills someone."

I looked at my clock. It said 10:00. I got out of bed and pulled my robe on, then headed downstairs.

Alice was glaring at me when I sat down in the chair in the kitchen.

"What?" I said.

"You think you could have gotten up a little earlier," Alice grumbled, yanking a brush through my tangled blonde hair.

"Sorry."

Alice sighed, picking up a curling iron and wrapping it around a strand of my hair. "It's okay. Cynthia!"

"Yeah?" Cynthia said, appearing with her hair already done, still in her pajamas.

"I need you to help me curl Rosalie's hair while I work on her makeup."

"Okay," she said, taking the curling iron. For the next three hours Alice worked on my makeup and hair with Cynthia helping. After that, Alice put my jewelry on. Then, we walked back to my room and she helped me into my dress.

"Oh, Rose, you look so beautiful!" Bella gushed as I walked down the stairs.

"Thanks," I said, lifting my skirt as I stepped down off the bottom stair.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Esme asked, walking into the room.

"Yeah, just waiting for the guys."

"Rose, we're meeting them there," Alice said, walking outside towards the limo. My entire bridal party plus Esme got in the limo, and drove to St. Anthony's church.

When we arrived, I walked into the back room with Bella, Alice, Leah, and Cynthia. We waited back there for thirty minutes. David, a friend of mine from Rochester, was with us. He was going to walk me down the aisle since I still wasn't speaking to my family.

The music started, and my bridesmaids filed out one by one, escorted by Emmett's groomsmen. Bella, my maid of honor, walked out last, escorted by Edward, Emmett's best man. Finally, David and I walked out.

Everyone in the church stood up as we walked down the aisle. He placed my hand in Emmett's, then went and sat down. I looked into Emmett's eyes, and he gave me a big smile. Then, the priest started the ceremony.

Everything was going very smoothly. The priest read the readings and the gospel. Finally, it was time to take our vows.

Emmett and I turned to face each other. The priest was just about to have us say our vows, when Leah let out a moan. I turned to look at her, and saw she had dropped to her knees.

"Leah, what's wrong?" I whispered.

"The baby…" she moaned.

"Is everything okay?" Bella asked, placing her hand on her shoulder. Leah let out another moan, then looked down.

I looked by her feet and saw a puddle of water. Her water had broken. The baby was coming.


	33. Chapter 32: Evan Harold Newton

Chapter 32: Evan Harold Newton

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. Seriously, you guys are amazing. Just an FYI, there are lemons in this chapter. They aren't till the end, so if you don't want to read it, skip the part with Rosalie and Emmett in the broom closet.**

APOV

"Here, take my keys," Jasper said, handing Mike the keys to his Aston Martin. "Just don't crash it."

"I won't," he said, putting his arm around Leah's waist and rushing her out of the church.

"Hey, can we hurry this up?" Rosalie snapped at the priest. "I kind of want to go see my bridesmaid give birth to her first child. Let's just skip to the 'I do's' and be done with it, okay?"

The priest looked at her, shocked. I don't think he had ever been spoken to like that in a church before. Looking back down at his book, he proceeded with the ceremony.

"Do you, Emmett Nathaniel Cullen, take Rosalie Carina Hale, to be your wife – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?" the priest asked, looking at Emmett.

"I do," Emmett answered, smiling his big, goofy grin at Rosalie.

"Do you, Rosalie Carina Hale, take Emmett Nathaniel Cullen to be your husband – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?" The priest looked at Rosalie.

"I do,"

"What token of your love do you offer? Would you place the rings in my hand?" Rosalie and Emmett gave the wedding rings they got for each other and placed them in the priest's hands.

"May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go – may they always return to one another. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn for. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place that many will find there a friend. May these rings on their fingers symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts."

The priest handed Rosalie's ring back to Emmett.

"Emmett Nathaniel Cullen, in placing this ring on Rosalie Carina Hale's finger, repeat after me: Rosalie Carina Hale, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."

Emmett repeated what the priest just said and slid the ring onto Rosalie's finger.

The priest handed Emmett's ring to Rosalie.

"Rosalie Carina Hale, in placing this ring on Emmett Nathaniel Cullen's finger, repeat after me: Emmett Nathaniel Cullen, you are now consecrate to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."

Rosalie repeated the statement and slid the ring onto Emmett's finger.

"May you always share with each other the gifts of love – be one in heart and in mind – may you always create a home together that puts in your hearts – love – generosity and kindness. In as much as Emmett Nathaniel Cullen and Rosalie Carina Hale have consented together in marriage before this company of friends and family and have pledged their faith – and declared their unity by giving and receiving a ring – are now joined.

You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each other's best friend. What – therefore – God has joined together – let no man put asunder.

And so, by the power vested in me by the State of ______ and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth. You may now kiss the bride."

Emmett gently took Rosalie's face in his hands and kissed her deeply. Everyone in the church applauded as Emmett and Rosalie rushed down the aisle and out of the church for the first time as man and wife.

Edward, Bella, Seth, Cynthia, Jasper, and I followed them. Emmett and Rosalie climbed into their limo while the rest of us piled into Edward's Volvo and quickly drove to the hospital.

When we got there, we found Mike waiting for us in the entrance of the hospital.

"Where is she?" I asked as we followed Mike down the hall to the maternity ward.

"She's in the one room. They won't induce labor until she's dilated a little more. Hurry up. She's already pissed that I left her."

We walked into the room, and saw Leah, lying in her bed, moaning in pain.

"Why'd it have to some now? It wasn't due for another two weeks?"

Mike walked over to her and took her hand. "Shh, it's okay baby," he said, kissing her head.

"Can't they just get it out? I mean, I'm having contractions every five minutes!"

"Leah, they have to wait until you're dilated more," Edward said. Of course he knew; he was the doctor, after all.

"But it's so painful!" she wailed. She closed her eyes tight as she had another contraction. "I'm going to ground this kid before he's even born!" she yelled.

"How's everything going, Mrs. Newton," a doctor said, walking into the room.

"How do you think it's going?" Leah snapped. "I'm in pain and you guys won't do anything! Can't you just pop it out of me and be done with it?" Leah asked.

"Sorry, no can do. Sorry, did I interrupt a wedding or something?" he asked, looking at Rosalie in her over-the-top gown.

"No, _he_ did," Leah snarled, pointing at her stomach. "I'm really sorry about interrupting your wedding," Leah apologized to Rosalie and Emmett. "Know this: he _will _be punished once he's born.

"Leah, it's fine," Rosalie said, sinking into a chair. "Besides, now I have an excuse to not go to the reception for a while."

"No, you have to go!" I shrieked at Rosalie. What was she thinking, blowing off her wedding reception? "You're the bride! You and Emmett have to be there. So do Bella and Edward."

"What?" Edward said, looking at me.

"You're the best man and maid of honor—you guys have to make your speeches! Do you think I wrote them so no one would hear them? Now get your butts in your cars and get over to the Wilshire Grand Hotel!" I said, pushing them out of the room.

"But—but—" Rosalie was saying as I pushed her unceremoniously from the room.

"No excuses! Get over there! Seth, Cynthia, Jasper, and I will be over later. You guys can come back after the reception. Now go!" I said, slamming the door in their face.

"Wow," Leah said, looking at me. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

********

EmPOV

"Can you believe her?" I said to Rosalie as we got in the limo and drove to our reception.

"I know! You'd think we were going to die if we didn't come to this thing!"

I sighed. "Oh well. We'll go, say hi to some people, dance, cut the cake, then come right back. I don't want to miss this if I can help it."

She narrowed her eyes. "You know Edward and Bella are going right back to the hospital once they give their speeches."

"I know. Man, this sucks," I said, slumping down in my seat.

"Well, whatever. When I have my first kid, I expect all those bitches to be there for me, or else."

"So, you want to have kids with me?" I asked her, referring to her previous comment.

"Of course I do, Emmett. If I'm marrying you, don't you think I want to start a family? I mean, we're both financially independent and I'm at the age where I want little Emmett's and Rosalie's running around our house." She leaned her head on my shoulder and intertwined her fingers with mine.

"Well, let's start now," I growled, putting my knees on either side of her body and attacking her with my lips. I moved my hands to the back of her dress and started to pull the zipper down.

"Emmett, stop," Rosalie said weakly.

I sighed and looked at her. "What?"

"Well, I'd prefer if the first time we make love after getting married was not in the back of a limo on the way to our reception. Plus, my hair will get ruined, and I'd rather not look like a mess in the pictures that will be in magazines all across the country. Tonight, though, you can ruin my hair all you want. I won't care." She kissed me once more on the lips, and I rolled off her. I zipped her dress back up and we sat there, hand in hand, waiting until we arrived at the reception.

The limo pulled up to the hotel, and the two of us got out. We walked into the reception room, and were greeted by hundreds of applauding people. I looked over and saw Edward and Bella standing by the bar. How did they beat us here?

Rosalie and I took a seat up at the table in the front of the room. Bella and Edward joined us, but there were six seats still empty at the table since Mike, Leah, Alice, Jasper, Seth, and Cynthia were all still at the hospital.

Esme walked over to us. "Where's everyone else?" she whispered.

"Still at the hospital. Alice, Jasper, and the kids will be here eventually. I don't think Leah and Mike are going to make it." She nodded, then went and sat with Carlisle.

First, Edward toasted to Rosalie and I, congratulating us and telling some embarrassing stories about me. When he got married to Bella, I was definitely going to bring up the fact that he wet the bed until he was seven. Payback's a bitch.

Next, Bella gave her speech. She said how we were the perfect couple and how everyone was envious of our love. She told the story of how we met and fell in love. It was the nicest speech I had ever heard.

Next, Rosalie and I had our first dance to Mariah Carey's "Hero."

"I love you," Rosalie whispered to me as we gracefully spun around the ballroom floor. Photographers snapped pictures as I dipped her down in the middle of the dance to kiss her. After that, I shared a dance with my mom as Rosalie danced with my father since hers wasn't there.

When the next song came on, I saw Alice and Jasper join us on the dance floor with Seth and Cynthia behind them. Rosalie and I glided over to them.

"How is she?" I whispered to them.

"Still not dilated enough. The doctors are talking about doing a cesarean section if she's not dilated enough by tonight. We just had to get out of there—the screaming was unbearable." Alice nodded in agreement.

"Where are Bella and Edward?" Alice asked.

I looked around and spotted them, doing shots at the bar. Surprise, surprise.

"Getting shitfaced at the bar," I said, pointing to them. Rosalie shook her head, then leaned it onto my shoulders.

After we danced for a while, it was time to cut the cake. We had a seven layer, custom-made cake with roses cascading down the side. I saw the flash of camera bulbs as Rosalie and I cut the cake, then fed it to each other.

After that, we danced some more. By 9 pm, people were starting to leave.

"Em, can we go?" Rose asked. Nodding, I took her hand and we left the ballroom. We were followed by Bella supporting a drunk Edward, Alice, Jasper, Cynthia, and Seth. We all piled into our limo and headed back to the hospital.

When we got there, I grabbed the bag of clothes from the trunk and brought it in with us. Rose and I went into the bathroom and changed out of our wedding clothes and into something more comfortable. After we brought our clothes back to the limo, we met everyone in Leah's room.

"Still not dilated enough?" I asked.

"Thanks for bringing that back up you—you—" Leah winced in pain as she had another contraction.

I sighed and collapsed into a chair. Rosalie came and sat on my lap, running her fingers through my hair.

"Sorry we're ruining your wedding night," Mike said to me. "You guys can leave if you want." Leah gave us an I'll-kill-you-if-you-leave look.

"It's fine," Rosalie said. "I wouldn't miss this for anything, not even my own wedding night." She leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek.

"What about your honeymoon?" Bella asked. "Don't you have an early flight tomorrow or something?"

I stared at her, dumbfounded. "Do you honestly think we'd fly anywhere after the crash? We're taking a cruise from LA to Hawaii."

"That sounds nice," Leah grumbled. "I'd like to be on a cruise instead of here."

"Me too," I said, too low for Leah to hear.

********

An hour later, we were all still sitting in the room, waiting for Leah to give birth. I was bored, tired, hungry, and horny. Well, I could eliminate one of those things from that list right now.

"Rose," I said, lifting her off my lap and standing up, "Let's go down to the cafeteria. I'm starving."

"You're always thinking about your stomach," Rosalie grumbled, but she followed me out of the room.

We were walking down the hall when I found the place I was looking for: a broom closet. I pulled Rosalie in behind me and locked the door.

"Emmett, what—" Rosalie started to say, but I cut her off with my lips. I wrapped my arms around her torso as I moved my lips from her face to her neck, slowly trailing them down. I reached her collarbone as I slid my hands down to the bottom of her shirt. I started inching my hands upwards, underneath her shirt.

"I know you said you wanted our first time after getting married to be special," I said, lifting her shirt over her head so she was standing in front of me in her bra and jeans, "But I can't wait, not when you're sitting on my lap, looking as beautiful as ever. I love you, Rosalie," I said, looking into her eyes.

"I love you too, Emmett," she said, ripping my shirt off me."

"You know, that's going to be a problem when we go back to the room," I said, looking down at my tee shirt, which was now in two pieces.

"Sorry," she said, jumping into my arms. "But I just want you so badly. Can you hold that against me?"

"I guess not," I said, unhooking her bra. I threw it to the ground, and her tits bounced against her chest. She pressed her body close to my, and I felt myself go hard.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're finally paying attention," she purred in my ear, unzipping my jeans and pulling me out. She slip down my body until she was kneeling on the floor in front of me. I was about to say something when I felt her hot breath surrounding me, and I gasped with pleasure. She moved slowly back and forth, swirling her tongue around me.

I ran my fingers through her hair as she continued sucking on me. Rosalie, the most beautiful woman I had ever met in my life, was good at other things besides looking good.

I couldn't take it anymore. I had to be in her. I pulled her to her feet, undid her jeans, and yanked them to the floor. I was happy to see she was only wearing a skimpy thong. I slid my hands down the left thigh and removed her panties with my teeth. She spread her legs a little farther for me, but instead of standing up, I stuck my face between her legs and slid my tongue inside of her.

She squirmed with pleasure and was about to scream out, when I yanked my tongue out and pulled her to the ground.

"Oof," she groaned as she fell on top of me. "What was that for?"

"You have to be quiet," I whispered, putting my finger to her lips. "Do you want us to get kicked out of here?"

Instead of saying anything, she wrapped her lips around my finger and slowly slid them off.

A second later, I had her lying on the ground on her back, her legs in the air. I took my rock hard dick and plunged it inside of her. She let out a small squeak, but threw her hands over her mouth before anything louder came out. I started pumping in and out, getting into a good rhythm. I could feel her getting wetter and wetter as I went faster and faster.

Her breathing was getting heavier and more labored, and I could tell she was about to orgasm.

"Emmett!" she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me closer to her body. "Oh, keep going," she moaned into my ear.

I happily obliged. I kept pumping in and out of her. I felt her back arch, and she dug her perfectly manicured nails into my back, dragging them down.

Fuck, that was going to leave a mark tomorrow. Oh well. It would be worth it.

She arched her back again and pressed her breasts into my chest. I grabbed them and squeezed hard. She leaned forward and bit me on the neck to keep from screaming out.

"Fuck! That hurt!"

She just smiled up at me as she continued to ride her orgasm out. I felt the pressure in dick building up. I was almost there, but I could feel her orgasm starting to die. She was slowly relaxing.

"No, Rosie, stay with me for another minute," I said to her.

She nodded and pulled me farther into her. She kept thrusting her hips into me, forcing me to plunge deeper and deeper into her.

At that moment, I exploded inside of her. She grabbed onto me tighter as I filled her. Once I finished, I gently lowered her to the floor and pulled myself out. I kissed her twice on the neck before collapsing on the ground next to her. We both lay on the ground of the broom closet, panting heavily. Rosalie rested her head on my chest as her breathing returned to normal.

"Ooh, sorry about that," she said, brushing the skin on the side of my neck where she bit me. "That's probably going to leave a mark for a few days. I don't know what got into me."

"It's okay," I said, rolling over and kissing her on the cheek. "It was definitely worth it." I ran my fingers up and down her bare back as she relaxed on the floor.

"Well, we should probably head back," she said, pulling her jeans back up. "We don't want to miss the birth." She found her bra on the floor and put it back on. She snatched her shirt from under me and pulled it over my head. I zipped my jeans back up.

"Before we go back, we need to find me a shirt," I said, pointing to my bare chest. We walked out of the closet, hand in hand. We found a cart with scrubs on them. Rosalie grabbed me a blue scrub top, and I pulled it on. Then, we both rushed back to the room.

We saw Mike standing in the hall with a big grin on his face.

"No!" Rosalie gasped. "We missed it?"

He nodded. "It's official: I'm a dad."

"Congrats man," I said, patting him on the back.

"Where's everyone else?" Rosalie asked, looking around.

"Seth and Cynthia are in the waiting area on the floor. The doctor made them leave once he was going to deliver the baby. Alice and Jasper are with them since we didn't think it was a good idea to let two teenagers wander a hospital at night alone. Bella took Edward to the bathroom since he was about to throw up on account of the fact that he got piss drunk at your wedding." He shook his head.

"Well, can we go in and see him?" Rose asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not. I came out here to look for everyone."

Rosalie and I followed Mike into the room. Lying in the bed, looking peaceful as ever, was Leah. In her arms, she held a tiny baby wrapped in a blue blanket.

Mike walked over to her side. "Leabug? I'm going to go get Alice and the rest of the gang. I'll be right back." He kissed the top of her head and the top of his newborn son's head.

I couldn't believe Mike Newton was actually a father.

"Leah, he's so precious!" Rosalie whispered.

Leah smiled and nodded, stroking her son's tiny head. "I'm just happy it's over with," she said. "Giving birth was the most painful thing I've ever been through in my life. Remind me to never get pregnant again."

Mike came back with Alice, Jasper, Cynthia, and Seth.

"He's so cute!" Cynthia squealed when she saw the new baby.

"He's so small!" Seth said, confused.

"Uncle Seth, would you like to hold your nephew?" Leah asked. Seth looked at her with wide eyes, but he gently took the baby from her. "Don't let his head drop!" she ordered him.

Seth sat down in one of the chairs, slowly rocking the baby. Cynthia went and kneeled next to him. She touched his cheek and looked down at him with big, loving eyes.

"What did you name him?" Alice asked.

"We decided to call him Evan Harold Newton. Harold for my father, and Evan in honor of Eva. After all, he wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her."

"You know, I bet she's looking down at us right now and smiling. She's seeing how much good her sacrifice did."

"She was an amazing woman," Leah said. "She gave up everything for us, and I will never be able to thank her enough."

Mike turned to Rosalie and me. "We want you two to be the godparents."

"Us?" Rosalie asked.

"You really want a Giants player to be your son's godfather?"

"Sure," Mike said. "I can't think of two better people to be godparents."

Something was bothering me, something about the island. "I wonder what happened to the guy who hired her and all those guys on the freighter?" I asked aloud.

"Maybe he was on the boat with them," Rosalie said hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe…" I trailed off, still thinking about Eva and the island. That guy, whoever he was, was bad news. If he was still alive, he had better not come near me, Rosalie, or any of my friends. He would be sorry if he ever tried to hurt any of them. If he did, he would be sorry. He could try to kill me, but not Leah, Evan, Mike, Bella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Seth, Cynthia, and especially not Rosalie. I wouldn't go down without a fight, and I would never stop protecting the ones I love.


	34. Chapter 33: The Wedding of the Century

Chapter 33: The Wedding of the Century

BPOV

"Leah, he's the cutest baby I've ever seen," I said, sitting in her kitchen while she fed Evan. "He looks a lot like you."

"You think? Mike said that too, but I think he looks more like him." She rocked the baby slowly in her arms, stroking his cheek with her index finger. "So where's Edward now?"

"Working, like usual. He's spending all his free time at the hospital that I feel like I never see him anymore."

"Well, it's not like you're just sitting around the house, twiddling your thumbs. You're busy with your classes and planning a wedding. By the way, how's school going?"

"It's…different," I said. Different was the best only word I could think of to describe college.

"How so?"

"Well, first of all, I'm older than everyone there."

"Not much. Bella, you're only 26. They're what, 20?"

"Also, they're always staring at me. Even when one of the professors is giving a lecture, people turn in their seats to look at me. It's like their all judging me."

"That's probably because your picture is on the cover of every major magazine in the country. I wouldn't worry about it/ Anyways, isn't the semester almost over?"

"Tomorrow," I said, smiling.

"Yeah. Like I said, don't worry about it. Worry about Alice's wedding instead. I mean, it's next week!"

I groaned. "I know. She's going to kill me with wedding plans. Whenever she's not busy with her wedding, she's butting into mine. If she doesn't stop, I'm never going to get this wedding planned."

"Relax," Leah said, getting up and gesturing for me to follow her. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine. I mean, we have Alice's wedding next week, so she'll be consumed with married life after that." We walked into Evan's room and she laid him in his crib. He reached up towards his mother, but she just bent down and kissed him on his forehead.

"How do you know how to do that?" I asked her.

"What?"

"Be a mom."

She laughed. "I don't know. I think it just comes naturally. I mean, when we first got back from the hospital, I felt like I was a total failure. I didn't know what I was doing, but then, all of a sudden, I did. I think women just have that instinct in them. I'm sure when you and Edward have kids, you'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked quietly.

"Positive. I mean, if I can do it, you can do it."

We walked back downstairs and sat at the kitchen table.

"Where are they?" I asked. "They were supposed to be here 20 minutes ago."

"You know Alice and Rosalie—a quick shopping trip turns into three hours at the mall," Leah sighed.

"I know, but I really want to finish with these dresses today if we can. I don't know why I ever agreed to be Alice's maid of honor—she's stressing me out!"

"I can imagine. I just have an infant son and an absent husband stressing me out."

"Yeah, where is Mike? I haven't seen him in awhile," I said, looking around the house.

"He's training for the next season. Since he missed last season, he's apparently out of shape. I told him he should retire now that he has a family, but no. He's gone all day, and once the season starts, he's going to be spending most of him time in Philadelphia. I told him I'm not moving there, so I don't know what he's going to do."

"Guys, we're here!" a singsong voice greeted us from the front of the house. Leah and I walked into the front hall and saw Alice and Rosalie with a dozen garment bags in their arms. "Who wants to try these bad boys on?" Alice asked.

I sighed as we walked into the living room for the final fit of our bridesmaid dresses.

********

APOV

"Oh my gosh, I'm getting married tomorrow!" I squealed in the car as Leah, Rosalie, Bella, Cynthia, a few of my friends, and I drove to Planet Hollywood after a day at the spa. Jasper was out with the guys for his bachelor's party while I was enjoying my bachelorette party.

"I still don't see why we're going out to dinner instead of getting a stripper," Rosalie complained for the fifteenth time.

"Rose, you're married, so quit bitching. Besides, it's my party and I want to go out to dinner."

"Fine," she grumbled. We pulled into the parking lot and all got out of the car. All my bridesmaids wore leis while I wore the veil Rosalie made for me—complete with condoms sewn onto the back of it.

When we walked into the restaurant, we were seated immediately. Ah, the perks of being famous. I ordered drinks for the table and turned back to my bridesmaids. They were all telling stories of how we met. Mia was telling Rosalie and Bella about my first day at Beverly Hills High.

"…she was like, the cutest girl we had ever seen, so we asked her to hang out with us and our guy friend, Trent. And then, of course, Trent fell in love with her. I mean, how can you not? But I remember back in school she was always talking about Jasper Whitlock and how she wanted to marry him…and now she's _actually_ marrying him!"

The waiter came back with our drinks—martinis for everyone except Cynthia, who got a diet coke.

"Excuse me," Rosalie said, signaling the waiter. "Can I have water instead?" He nodded and took her drink away.

"Rose, what gives?" I asked. "Tonight's my bachelorette party! Get smashed!"

"Uh, no, it's okay. I'll be the designated driver instead."

"We're in a limo."

"Well, I'd rather be coherent and not leaning on anybody for support when we leave."

"Oh. My. God!" Leah shrieked, hugging Rose. "Congratulations!"

"What?" Bella asked. "What's going on?"

"Rosalie's pregnant!"

"Are you really?" I asked.

She nodded. Everyone at the table started screaming incoherently.

"I found out yesterday," she said. "I went to the doctor for a checkup, and he told me I'm going to have a baby."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bella whined.

"I didn't want to take the attention away from Alice's wedding," she said, shooting me an apologetic look.

"No, that's totally fine. I can't believe you're having a baby!" I squealed. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "I can't wait to start a family with Emmett. He's the most amazing man I've ever met, and I'm sure he's going to make an amazing dad."

"Okay, gift-time for the bride-to-be!" Melanie shouted, holding up a bag. I saw everyone had something with them. Oh god, what had I gotten myself into?

"Me first!" Rosalie said, shoving her bag into my lap. I was worried—for Rosalie's bachelorette party, I had given her blank video tapes to record all their raw footage on. I was wondering how she was going to pay me back.

I pulled out a box labeled, "The Dream Honeymoon Kit." Inside, there was furry handcuffs, flavored whip cream, incense, and—blank video tapes. Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

"Thanks, Rose," I said, putting the gift back in the bag. I opened everyone else's presents. They were all "gifts" for me to use on my honeymoon with Jasper.

The rest of the night, everyone talked either about my wedding or Rosalie being pregnant. At 11 pm, we staggered out of the restaurant back into our limo and headed to my parent's house (Jasper and the guys were staying at our place.)

We arrived back at the house and everyone fell asleep shortly. We had a big day ahead of us tomorrow.

********

At 9 am the next morning, I woke up with a splitting headache. I shouldn't have had all those martinis last night…

"Rise and shine," Cynthia shouted, jumping on my bed.

"No, go away," I groaned, throwing my pillow at her.

"Alice, get your butt out of bed! You have a hair appointment in an hour. Don't you want to shower first?"

"Fine," I grumbled, heading into the bathroom.

After I was showered and dressed, I headed downstairs, where all my bridesmaids were eating breakfast. My mom had our cook make eggs, sausage, bacon, French toast, pancakes, and every other breakfast food you could imagine.

"C'mon guys," I said, grabbing a piece of toast. "We have to be over at the Lukaro salon in 20 minutes!"

Everyone got up and we all piled into the limo. Hank drove us to the salon and we all walked in, ready to get our hair done.

Four hours later, we left. Each of my bridesmaids had matching hair. It was curled, then half of it was pulled into a messy bun on top of the bead while the rest of it hung loose. Lilies were woven into the hair, giving it a beachier feel. My hair was much different. Since I had short hair, the hairstylist just curled it, then pinned it behind my ears.

When we got back to the house, my mom had already laid my dress, jewelry, and veil on the bed for me. I picked up the dress and quickly put it on. It was a long, slim-fitting silk dress. I wore drop diamond earrings and a simple diamond necklace with it. The veil was a wreath of lilies with a long veil attached to the back of it. We held the wreath in my hair with bobby pins.

After I was dressed, I headed downstairs to meet my bridesmaids. The all had on short green dresses with a green-blue ribbon around the middle. No one was wearing shoes, not even me. We all piled into the limo and drove to Paradise Cove in Malibu.

When we got there, I saw the wedding arch in the sand. It was made of wood, covered in lilies and white ribbons. There were about 50 chairs in the sand. The sand was covered with lily petals in the aisle that led up to the arch. I saw Jasper over to the left in a tan suit, standing with all his groomsmen. They were in khaki pants and white button down shirts. My bridesmaids and I waited to the right for everyone to get there and be seated.

Half an hour later, it was time. The guitarist started playing as my bridesmaids and Jasper's groomsmen walked down the aisle, up to the arch. Finally, it was my time.

"Ready, baby?" my dad asked, holding his arm out to me. I took it and the two of us walked down the aisle. As soon as I came out, the guitarist changed his song to "Canon in D." It sounded so pretty on the acoustic guitar.

I could have been worrying about tripping and falling on my face. I could have been worried about all the people watching me. I could have been worried about looking nice for "The Wedding of the Century," as the press was calling it.

The truth was, none of those things were on my mind. The only thing I was thinking of was Jasper. I saw him in front of me, looking like he had just won the lottery. He only had eyes for me, and I only had eyes for him. When we reached the front of the aisle, my father placed my hand in Jasper's and took a seat next to my mother.

Since neither Jasper nor I were religious, we decided on a non-traditional ceremony. A minister presided over the wedding, but our bridesmaids and groomsmen ran the show.

To start the whole thing, Bella and Edward read William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 116." They alternated who read each line. After them, Rosalie and Emmett read a passage in the bible. It was the 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that was read at their wedding. After them, Cynthia got up and sang "Ave Maria." I always knew she had a great voice, but I had never heard her sing something so beautifully. After she finished, everyone, including my parents, were staring up at her in awe.

After her, Leah, Mike, and Seth read an Irish blessing to us. Once they had all finished, it was time to take our vows.

Jasper and I had decided to read each other a poem instead of traditional vows. I went first. I had decided on "La Vita Nuova" by Dante Alighieri. I turned to Jasper and read my poem:

_In that book which is  
my memory . . .  
On the first page  
that is the chapter when  
I first met you  
appear the words . . .  
Here begins a new life_

I turned to Bella. She handed me a vial of pink sand and I poured it into the vase the minister was holding.

Jasper turned to me and read the poem he picked:

_As we stand beside the ocean tide,  
may our love always be as constant and unchanging  
as these never-ending waves that pour beneath our feet,  
flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea;  
your love came softly upon my heart,  
just as the foam comes softly upon the sand,  
and just as there will never be a morning  
without the ocean's flow,  
so there will never be a day  
without my love for you.  
I pledge myself to you this day.  
Our love will be as unchanging  
and dependable as the tide;  
as these waters nourish the earth  
and sustain life, may my constant devotion  
nourish and sustain you  
until the end of time. _

Jasper turned to Emmett, who handed him a vial of blue sand. He poured it into the vase, showing our unity.

After that, we exchanged rings, and then were pronounced man and wife. Jasper and I walked down the aisle as the guests showered us with rose petals. He turned to me at the end of the aisle, dipped me down, and gave me the most passionate kiss ever.

After the ceremony, everyone headed over to the reception area, which was about 50 feet away. We had tables, chairs, and a buffet table set up. For music, we hired a small band that consisted of an acoustic guitar player, a drummer on bongos, a steel drummer, a sax player, and a singer.

We had given them a list of artists to play—mainly Bob Marley, the Beach Boys, Jack Johnson, the Beatles, and Caribbean music.

Jasper and I shared our first dance to Robbie Williams' "Beyond the Sea." We thought it would go well with the beach theme, and it was different from traditional wedding songs. After that, we cut our cake—which was a three-layer cake topped with seashells.

I danced with my father next, then Emmett, Edward, Seth, and Trent.

"You look beautiful," he murmured in my ear.

"Thanks," I said, blushing.

"I can't believe you're actually married. I guess this means you're officially off the market."

I smiled at him. "Yeah. I found my soul mate. But Trent, don't worry. She's out there for you, too. You just need to look a little harder."

"Thanks, Alice. And I'm really happy for you. I hope you and Jasper have an amazing life after everything you've been through."

I stood on my toes and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He left, and Jasper took his place.

"Enjoying the party, Mrs. Whitlock?"

"Jasper, it's everything I could have hoped for. Thank you so much." I pulled his face down and gave him a big kiss. Once I came up for air, I rested my head against his chest. I looked over at Cynthia, who was twirling gracefully with Seth.

"Aww, she looks so happy. I just wish my parents would pull their heads out of their asses and be happy for her instead of trying to break them up."

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked.

"Well, she wants to leave Marymount and go to public school like I did, but they won't let her. They also won't let her out at night anymore, and they won't let Seth over their house. Basically, they're trying to keep him away from her."

"Why are they doing that?"

"Jasper, you know my parents. They want her to be with someone who is in high society, not some kid from an Indian reservation in Washington. I guess their hoping the time apart will break them up, but it's not going to work. They're going to end up getting married when their older. I see how they act around each other, and I can tell they're destined to be together."

"What, like us?" he asked, kissing me on the neck.

I smiled. "No, it's different. They're not soul mates, but they're perfect for each other. Seth is the perfect guy for Cynthia. She's happy and full of energy, and he's someone who can keep up with her. He doesn't care about who her family is or how much money she has either. He just loves her for her personality, and nothing else. If my parents can't see that he's perfect for her, then they're blind."

********

CPOV

I was in hell.

I wasn't being melodramatic or exaggerating—I was literally in hell.

I had the sweetest, kindest, most amazing boyfriend in the world, but my parents wouldn't let me see him. And since Alice was away with Jasper on her honeymoon, I couldn't even meet him at her place.

My parents wouldn't let me see anyone outside of school, and since Seth didn't go to Marymount, I never got to see him. I know they were hoping we would break up and I would start dating someone more respectable, like one of the Hilton brothers or the Niarchos brothers, even though some of them were way too old for me.

I walked to my closet and picked out something to wear to school. I found the shortest skirt I owned, my low-cut tank top, and my thigh-high stockings and put them on. I went into Alice's old room, found her combat boots from high school, and put them on. Luckily, my parents weren't here, so they wouldn't see me leaving the house like this.

I went onto the bathroom and caked my eyes with darks liner. If they wouldn't let me leave Marymount, I would make sure I was expelled. Going to school like this was in serious violation of the dress code. Last week, Julia Phillips was suspended for a week because she was chewing gum. This outfit should get me expelled, no problem.

"Miss Cynthia, what are you wearing?" Rachel, our maid, asked as I came down the stairs.

"Clothes," I said, matter-of-factly.

"Miss Cynthia, you know you're not allowed to wear that to school!"

"Rachel, please don't tell my parents! I'm hoping the school will expel me so Mom and Dad will let me go to public school with Seth."

"Mr. Clearwater?" she asked. I nodded.

"Okay. I promise not to tell your mother or father, but only because I like your gentleman friend."

"Eee! Thank you, Rachel!" I said, hugging her around the waist. I grabbed my bag and ran out of the house into the limo. Hank dropped me off at Marymount. I stepped out of the car and saw everyone look at me. My friends, Tess and Emily, came up to me.

"Cynthia, are you _trying_ to get expelled? Why aren't you in uniform?"

"It's the only way I can get my parents to let me see Seth," I told them. Before they could ask me why, Mrs. Marsch, the vice principal, came running over to me. She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to her office.

"Never…in all my years…what were you…look at your skirt! She sputtered, unable to form complete sentences. "I don't know what to say. I can't understand what's gotten into you since you returned to school. Before the crash, you were always so well mannered and never broke the rules. Now, you're talking back to teachers, not doing your homework, showing up late to class, and today, you break dress code. Is something going on, Cynthia?"

I rolled my eyes at her as I pulled a piece of gum out of my bag. "Nope. Happy as a clam."

"Well, it seems like I don't have any choice. I'm going to have to expel you from Marymount. Please go clear out your locker. We'll call your house to have someone pick you up."

I left the office, dancing. I couldn't believe it. I was actually going to be able to go to public school—with Seth! This was the happiest day of my life.

I took all my books, pictures, and papers out my locker and shoved them into my bag. Then, I went to the front and waited for Hank to pick me up.

"Miss Cynthia," he said somberly, and I knew why. Once my parents found out about my expulsion, they were going to murder me. Luckily for me, they weren't home right now, so I was still alive for a few more hours.

In the car, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Seth's number.

"Cynthia? I thought you were in school."

"Nope. Just got expelled. You want to come over? My parents are out right now."

"You got _expelled_?"

"I'll explain later. Come and see me. I miss you."

"Alright, I'll be right there." He hung up the phone, and Hank pulled into our driveway. I got out of the car and ran into the house. Before I could change, the doorbell rang. I ran to answer it. I pulled the door open, and Seth was standing there, looking as cute as ever.

"Seth!" I shrieked, throwing my arms around him.

"Cyn, what are you wearing?" he asked, looking me up and down.

"This," I said, "Is what got your brilliant girlfriend expelled."

"You wore _that_ to school?" he shouted.

I nodded.

"What were you thinking? Were you _trying_ to get expelled?"

"Yep. If they expelled me, then my parents would have to let me go to public school. And if I'm at public school, I get to see you. See? Genius."

"I don't know if I would call it—"

"Shut up and kiss me," I said, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him onto the couch on top of me.

Seth's soft lips felt so good on my skin. He trailed his kisses up to my ear and down to my collarbone. His hands started to snake around my waist until they reached the back of my thigh. He slowly moved them up until they were under my skirt. He grabbed my butt, but I didn't care.

He moved his other hand from my face to my hip. He moved the material of my shirt to the side as his hand worked its way under my shirt, inching up until it was just below my left breast. He moved my bra away from my breast and was about to grab it when—

"Cynthia!" I heard someone scream. I looked up and saw my parents standing in the doorway with horrified looks on their faces. Crap.

A moment later, Seth was gone from the couch as my dad seized him by his shirt and threw him outside.

"Mom? Dad?" I said nervously. "What are you doing home?"

"We just got a call from the school, saying you'd been expelled. We came home to see what that was all about, when we find you making your own porno on the couch! We banned that boy from this house, young lady! Banned means he is not allowed here! Just because we are not home does not mean you can invite him over!" my dad thundered at me.

"I'm sorry," I said meekly.

"And what are you wearing?" my mother said, looking at me.

"Clothes?" I said unsurely.

"Go upstairs and get changed, then come back down. We need to have a chat about your recent behavior," my dad snarled. I trudged up to my room, pulled on a pair of old sweats and a tee shirt, then went back down to meet with my parents.

"What's gotten into you, Cynthia? You used to be so well behaved and polite! Ever since you got back from that island, it's like we don't know you anymore! You won't talk to us, you won't hang out with your old friends, and you're constantly getting into trouble at school! The only things you ever want to do are hang out with your sister or that boy.

My parents never called Seth by his name. They only called him "that boy."

"I hate it at Marymount," I said. "I want to go to public school. I told you that, but you wouldn't listen. I thought if I misbehaved enough, I would get expelled and you'd have to send me there. I just want to be a normal teenager with friends and a boyfriend and a social life. I don't want to be this celebrity that's on magazines everywhere. Can't you just let me have a normal life?"

"Well, we'll think about it," my mom said after a pause. "Oh, and you got a letter in the mail," she said, handing me an envelope.

I went up to my room and opened the letter. No one ever sent me anything, so I was curious to see who it was from. I pulled out a piece of computer paper. On it, there were newspaper and magazine letters taped to the page, spelling out a message. It said:

_Why are you lying about the island?_

I stared at the paper for a minute, unsure of what to think. Then, I grabbed my cell phone out of my bag and called Seth.

**Alice's wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses are in my profile. Please review—I crave reviews like a fat kid craves chocolate cake.**


	35. Chapter 34: Notes From No One

Chapter 34: Notes From No One

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, all. You guys rock. Also, next chapter will be the last chapter. Sad, I know.**

BPOV

"Hey, baby," I said, walking into the house Edward and I shared after I got back from visiting Leah and Evan. "Edward?" I called when he didn't respond.

"In here," a strained voice said. I walked into the kitchen and saw Edward sitting at the table, looking at a piece of paper.

"What's that?" I asked, sitting down next to him. He shoved the piece of paper in my hand. At first, it looked like a ransom note. The message was composed of letters from newspapers and magazines. Worried, I read what the note said:

_Didn't you ever wonder why Aro Volturi's murder was never reported? Or why no one ever found the bodies on the ms Amsterdam?_

"Oh my god!" I gasped. "Do you know who sent it?"

He shook his head.

"But we were the only ones there besides Aro and his guards. We never told anyone! How could someone find out about this?"

"I don't know," he said quietly. "But I _will_ find out!" Just then, the phone rang. I walked over and picked it up.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Bella? It's Cynthia! You have to help me! Something is wrong! Someone knows we're lying!"

"Cynthia, calm down," I said into the phone. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

"I got a note in the mail today, saying _Why are you lying about the island?_ Someone knows about the freighter and the natives and what we did!"

"Alright, I'm coming to pick you up, and we're all going have a meeting. I'll see you in ten minutes." I hung up the phone, then immediately dialed it again.

"Hello?" Rosalie's beautiful voice greeted me.

"Rose? It's Bella. Can you and Emmett come over here now? We have an emergency."

"What's going on?"

"There's no time to explain. I just need you guys to get over here as fast as you can."

"Bella, you're scaring me," Rosalie said nervously.

"I promise I'll explain everything when you get here."

"Okay. I'll see you soon." She hung up the phone. Next, I dialed Leah's house.

"Bella? Did you forget something here?" Leah asked.

"No, but I need you and Seth to come over here now. We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"I don't have time to explain. Can you just come over now?"

"Okay. We'll be there right away."

"See you soon," I said, then hung up.

"Are you going to explain to me what's going on?" Edward asked once I put the phone back in the cradle.

"Edward, Cynthia got a note, too. Someone knows we're lying about the island. We need to figure out who." I walked to the front, grabbed the keys to Edward's Volvo and walked out of the house. I hopped in the car and drove to Cynthia's house.

When I got there, I rang the doorbell. Cynthia answered the door immediately and rushed out. She was in a pair of Berkley sweats and a Dodgers tee shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was in an old pair of flip-flops.

"You and your sister definitely don't fit the profile for an heiress," I said, gesturing towards her outfit.

"Hey, give me a break. I got expelled today, so I've been chilling at the house."

"You got _expelled_?" I shrieked.

"Yeah. I broke dress code at school, so my vice principal expelled me. No big deal."

"No big deal? Where do you plan to go to school now?"

"Well, I can go to public school with Seth next year. I'm so happy. I hate Marymount anyways."

"Wait until Alice hears about this," I grumbled. "She's going to be so mad."

"Oh well. I have more important things to worry about, like this note, she said, holding up a sheet of paper. I saw the note looked similar to Edward's. I pulled into our driveway and saw Emmett's jeep and Leah's Ferrari.

Cynthia and I walked through the door and into the kitchen. When we walked in, we saw everyone sitting around the table, Edward's note in the middle. I took a seat next to Edward while Cynthia sat on Seth's right.

"So, what's going on, Bella?" Rosalie asked. "You were very vague on the phone."

"Cynthia, show them your note." She pulled out the sheet of paper and passed it around to everyone. They all read it, their eyes widening.

"Wait, so you think whoever sent this to Cynthia sent that to Edward?" Leah asked, pointing to the note Edward received.

I nodded. "Mhmm. I mean, both notes are similar in nature and they're written the same way. Someone knows we're lying, and someone saw us that night in the harbor. There's no other explanation."

"Who would know what really happened on the island?" Emmett asked. "The only people who know besides us are dead!"

"I know. That's what makes this so scary."

"Wait, if Aro was still alive, doesn't that mean other natives could be alive too?" Leah asked.

"It's possible," Edward said, "But not likely. I mean, we blew up their camp. Aro said he got out before the explosion. My guess is the rest of them were killed. I have no idea who could be doing this, but whoever it is wants something from us. I just don't know what."

********

EmPOV

"So, what do you think about all of this?" I asked Rosalie in the car as we drove back to our house.

"It's scary. No one knows who's doing this, and you can tell they're all scared. Did you see the look in Edward's eyes? He's worried. As am I. I don't want our child to be in danger when this threat is looming over our heads like a knife ready to drop."

"Rosalie, everything's going to be fine," I said, soothing her. "I'll protect you and our baby, I promise. Nothing will ever happen to you two."

Rosalie sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder. "It's just—I don't know what's going on. Someone sends us this note, but we don't know who. Everyone who knows about the actual island is dead or part of our group. How are we supposed to stop this threat if we don't know where it is coming from?"

"I—I don't know, baby," I said, rubbing her shoulder as I pulled into the driveway of our house. "But I will find out, I promise." The two of us got out of the car and went inside. Rosalie went off to take a shower and then go to bed. Ever since she had gotten pregnant, she'd been sleeping and eating a lot more than usual.

Instead of watching ESPN like I did every night, I went onto the computer and opened up Google. I typed in "Japanese Airlines Flight 2232" and hit "search."

Instantly, millions of articles came up. Most of them were about the discovery of the wreckage and the survivors. I went through dozens of pages without finding anything helpful. I cleared what I had typed and wrote "JAL Ten" instead. I clicked "search."

Again, millions of articles popped up. There were still a lot from the crash and discovery of the ten of us, but there were also many articles about us as people. There was something about both Alice and Jasper's and Rosalie and I's weddings, the birth of Leah and Mike's son, Bella and Edward getting engaged, and articles about our lives. Many of them were from gossip magazines and tabloids.

I deleted what I had typed and wrote "JAL Ten theories" and hit "search."

This was more what I was looking for. Here, there were theories about why the plane crashed, what happened to the missing bodies, why only ten of us survived, how we survived on an abandoned island, and one that said we were lying about the whole thing. I clicked on that to open up the site.

The site, authored by someone named Ryan Scott, said he thought we were all lying. Based on the position of the plane and the drift in the ocean current and the lunar map, it was impossible for us to have ended up on the island we were on. We would have to have been on an island much closer and yada yada yada. In my opinion, it sounded like a conspiracy theory, similar to keeping aliens in Area 51. I read the comments on the page, and my thoughts were the same as the other people who had read what this guy had written.

I sighed and turned off the computer. These notes were probably nonsense. How could anyone know what had really happened on the island? The only people who knew weren't talking, so we had nothing to worry about. Yawning, I pulled on my pajamas and crawled into bed next to Rosalie.

********

APOV

"We're baaack!" I sang as I walked into Bella and Edward's house. Jasper and I had returned from our honeymoon last night, and we were ready to see all of our friends. This morning, I had gotten a call from Bella, saying everyone wanted to see us as soon as possible.

Confused, Jasper and I had driven to her house as soon as we were showered, dressed, and fed. When we walked in the front door, no one was there.

"Bella?" I called out. "Edward? Cynthia? Where is everybody?"

"In here," Bella called from the kitchen. Jasper and I walked in, hand in hand, and saw everyone sitting around the table, looking at a few sheets of paper.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We have a problem," Leah said softly. Quickly, everyone recounted to us what we had missed while we were away. I looked at them with stunned eyes when they showed me the notes Cynthia and Edward had received.

"I got this one this morning," Rosalie whispered. I looked at her and saw her eyes were red.

_If you want your baby to be safe, you'll tell everyone the truth about what happened on the island._

The note looked the same as the others. There was no way to tell who had sent it.

"How do they even know I'm pregnant? The only people I've told are you guys and my parents. Kendra and Bridgette don't even know yet!" She leaned into Emmett and started sobbing.

I looked over at Jasper with worried eyes. "Why is this happening? Why does someone care that we lied?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "This is very strange. Now, when did the first letter appear?"

"Uh, about a week ago. Edward and Cynthia both received letters on the same day," Bella explained. "We had a meeting that day. Emmett looked online for any clues, but he found nothing."

"Has everyone received a letter?" I asked.

"No. J-j-just Edward, Cynthia and—and I," Rosalie said, shaking. Emmett had his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her closer to him when she started crying again.

"Did you guys receive anything besides the letters?"

"Yes. This," Cynthia said, handing me a picture. It was an x-ray of her abdomen, showing where the bullet was before they removed it."

"How—how did someone get this?" I asked.

"I don't know, but this narrows down who is doing this. It has to be someone who was on the freighter. They're the only ones who would have access to this."

"But the freighter exploded!" I exclaimed. "I remember—we blew it up!"

"Maybe someone got off," Edward said quietly.

"But how?" Seth asked. "We would have seen them after all the smoke cleared."

"Would we?" Leah asked. "Seth, we were trying to get away from there. We weren't really looking at the boat—we were looking for land instead. Maybe someone got off and went the other way. Then, when they saw us on the news, talking about how we were on some different island, maybe they got angry and decided to blackmail us."

"It just doesn't make sense!" Bella said, banging her fist on the table. "Why would someone want to do this to us? We haven't done anything to anyone?"

"We did blow us the boat. And the native's came. And Edward killed Aro and the others on that cruise ship," I reminded her."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Emmett asked. "Are we supposed to tell everyone we were lying and tell them we killed all these people? Do you _know_ what would happen to us?"

"We could go to the police," Leah suggested.

"Oh yeah, Leah. Great idea," Edward said sarcastically. "We'd have to explain everything to them. You can kiss your son goodbye now, because once they find out what really happened, we're all going to jail."

"Fuck, what are we going to do?" I said, sinking down onto Jasper's lap.

"Well, we can't give into this," Bella said.

"What, you expect me to gamble with the life of my unborn child?" Rosalie shrieked.

"Rose, calm down," Bella told her. "We're just going to have to be careful. We're going to have to be watchful. We're going to have to protect each other. We can't be stupid and reckless and out clubbing, getting drunk every night." She turned her gaze on Rosalie.

"Hey, don't look at me! I have a baby on the way!"

"Right, sorry."

"You seem like you've given this a lot of thought, Bella," I said, looking at my friend.

"There was a time in my life when I had to be careful everywhere I want under fear of death," she said quietly.

"Bella, you don't have to—"

"No, it's okay, Edward," she said, putting her hand on his arm. "It's time everyone knew. When I was thirteen, I was walking to the store to buy dinner for me and my father. On the way, I met this guy. He was about 25, and he started talking to me, complimenting me. He offered me a ride to the store. Me, being lazy, decided to take the ride. He seemed nice, and I didn't feel like walking another ten minutes." Bella took a deep breath, then continued.

"He seemed really nice and I didn't think anything was wrong until he drove me into the woods. He threw me out of the car and onto the forest floor. He raped me—that's how I got these scars," she said, pointing to the marks along her collarbone and her arm. "He left me there, bleeding. He left me to die. After that, I lived my life in fear—I always thought he was going come back and kill me. Even right before the crash, I was always afraid—Jacob was going to fully protect our home when we got back from Japan."

"Do you know who raped you?" I asked.

"For years, I never knew the man who raped me, but I vowed one day I would find out who stole my innocence. The only thing I could remember was his voice, and the way he called me sugar. I went years without finding him, until one day, I met him. I found him on an island after a plane crash."

"What?" Rosalie gasped. "Was he someone on the flight?"

Bella shook her head. "It was James. James raped me when I was 13."

We all looked at her, shocked.

"So yeah, I know what it's like to live your life in fear. It's not fun, but sometimes, it's the only option. When someone is threatening to kill you, sometimes you have to live life safely." I looked at her face, and saw a small tear fall from her left eye.

"Oh, Bella," I said, getting up and walking over to her. I put my arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

"I know," she sniffed. "It's just—this is bringing back the memories from back then. I swore to myself I would never let myself live in fear like that again, but I am. I mean, how am I supposed to go to school and plan a wedding if someone is threatening to hurt the people I love?" She looked around at all of us. "You guys are my family now, and I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

"I don't know what I would do if something happened to _you_," I said, looking at her. "Bella, we're going to find out who's doing this, and we're going to stop them. I promise, nothing will happen to us."

********

**Four Years Later**

EPOV

"Are you ready?" Emmett asked me. I looked at him in his suit. The two of us were standing in the back room of the church, waiting to walk to the altar.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I just hope Bella doesn't realize she can do better than me before she says 'I do.'"

"Edward, you and Bella are perfect for each other," Emmett, my best man, assured me. "You're the one who's saved her life multiple times. If that doesn't scream true love, than I don't know what does."

I smiled at him.

"Yeah," Jasper added. "You guys are meant to be together. Any other girl would have left you when they found out you were still married, but Bella forgave you. And anyways, it's been almost five years—if she hasn't left you now, I don't think she ever will."

Emmett let out a huge laugh, and I smiled before punching him in the shoulder. Everything in my life was going perfectly. Bella and I were happy and now, finally, getting married. We hadn't received a mysterious note since that day four years ago, and neither had anyone else. We all assumed that whoever had been doing it either got bored, or had done it as a joke.

"Dr. Cullen? It's time," the priest said, sticking his head in our room. I walked out to the altar, followed by my four groomsmen, who were each paired with their wife or girlfriend. All of the bridesmaids were in brown dresses that Bella had picked out. The style was flattering, so Leah, who was pregnant with her third son, could fit into it.

Next, Charlotte, Emmett and Rosalie's daughter and my niece, came out, tossing flower petal in the aisle. She was adorable with her blonde curls bouncing as she tool each step. She was walking with Evan and Bryant, Lean and Mike's sons, the ring bearers. After the bridal party had made their way out, the pianist started playing a wedding march. Everyone in the church stood up and looked back.

Billy Black, Jacob's father, was walking Bella down the aisle. Since her and Charlie were still estranged, he wasn't even at the wedding. In the past few years, she and Billy had bonded over their grief for Jacob.

Bella looked more beautiful than she had ever looked before. Her wedding dress looked stunning on her with her hair curled and piled on top of her head. Her veil fell in front of her face, fastened to her head with a diamond headband. Billy and Bella made it to the altar. She gave Billy a hug, then turned to me. Billy gave me a smile before sitting down.

Billy and I had become friendly. We weren't exactly friends, since I was marrying Bella instead of his son, but we got along.

The priest started the ceremony with a few readings, a song, a gospel, and finally, the exchange of the vows.

The priest turned to me. "Edward Anthony Cullen, do you take Isabella Marie Swan for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do," I said, looking Bella in the eyes. She smiled at me. I slid the diamond wedding bad I bought for her onto her left hand.

The priest turned to Bella. "Isabella Marie Swan, do you take Edward Anthony Cullen for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Bella looked at me. "I do." She slid the silver wedding band onto my left hand. I looked at it and saw she had the date, June 15, 2013, engraved on the ring.

"Then, by the power vested in my by the state of California, I know pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss Mrs. Cullen." Why was the priest telling me to kiss my mother? Looking confused, I walked down to the front row and kissed my mother on the cheek. Esme and the rest of the church started laughing.

"Not me," Esme whispered in my ear.

"Uh, Edward?" the priest said. "I meant Isabella." Bella looked at me, shaking with laughter. My face turning red, I walked back up to the altar and dipped Bella down, kissing her on the lips. The wedding recessional began playing as Bella and I walked from the church and hopped into the limo.

We started driving away. Bella was still howling with laughter.

"I can't believe you kissed your mom!" she giggled.

"Shut up," I said, taking her face and kissing her again. "He said kiss Mrs. Cullen."

"Yeah, he meant me you idiot. I was already Mrs. Cullen!" She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Ready for the social event of the season?" I asked her.

"Ugh, no. I can't believe your mom talked me into a huge wedding with half of California on the guest list. Is it too late to ditch?"

I sighed. "I think so. I mean, we're already married. We only have a few more hours." I squeezed her hand as the limo pulled up to the Beverly Hills Hotel. The two of us got out and walked into the reception room. Everyone applauded as we walked into the room, holding hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Dr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen!" Emmett said as we sat down at the front table.

"Edward, I can't believe you kissed your mom!" Alice shrieked as I sat down.

"Shut up," I mumbled, still embarrassed.

"Seriously, bro," Emmett said, sitting next to Rosalie. "I mean, I always knew you were dumb, but I never thought you were _that_ dumb."

I sighed as I leaned over and kissed Edward. After that, Bella and I danced to Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing." After we cut the cake, I turned to Bella.

"You want to get out of here?"

"Edward, we can't leave!" she hissed. "It's our wedding!"

"Exactly. We came, we took pictures, and we danced. As far as I'm concerned, we can leave. Let's go." I took her hand and the two of us sprinted down the hallway of the hotel until we reached the front of the building. We got in our limo and the driver took us to the harbor. We got into my speedboat and sped off into the ocean.

"Edward, where are we going?" Bella asked over the roar of the waves.

"Our honeymoon, of course."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise," I said, winking at her. After we were in the water for an hour, I slowed down as we approached the small island.

"Where are we?" Bella asked.

"Santa Bella," I answered. "It's your wedding present from me."

"You—you bought me an island?"

I nodded. "I bought it from the state and renamed it. I even had a cabin built on it for us. And, as you just saw, it's easy for us to get to. The place is well stocked with food and supplies. We can stay out here as long as we want."

Bella looked at me with tears in her eyes as she threw her arms around me. I lifted her into my arms and carried her inside the cabin and into the bedroom. I laid her on the bed as I started trailing kisses down her neck.

********

BPOV

"Edward?" I called out, slightly confused. I was on a bed I didn't recognize and there was light shining into the room that wasn't mine. I looked down and saw I was naked under the blanket of the bed. On the floor was my wedding dress and Edward's tuxedo.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Edward said, walking out of the bathroom in his boxers. He crawled onto the bed and planted a kiss on my lips. I nuzzled my head against his chest.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Mmm?"

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you never went to Japan?"

"Well, I never would have met the greatest thing that happened to me. I probably would have taken Tanya back and stayed in an unhappy marriage. You set me free, Bella. You are the best thing about my life, and I wouldn't trade that for anything."

I smiled. "I feel the same way. If I weren't in Japan, I would have stayed with Jacob. I mean, I loved him, but not the way I love you. With you, it feels like forever. I know that sounds mushy, but that's the truth."

"I know. I can't wait until we start a family together."

"It might be sooner than you think," I muttered.

"What's that?"

"I'm pregnant."

"What!? When?"

"I found out when I was at the doctor's last week. We're going to have a baby!"

Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a deep kiss. My life was complete at last. I had a husband and was going to me a mother. Nothing could ever destroy my happiness.

**Sorry this update took so long. My cousins were here and we went to the midnight showing of ****Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince****. If you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT! Also, Bella's wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses and wedding ring pictures are in my profile. Next update will not take as long, I PROMISE. And as always, please review ******


	36. Chapter 35: The Missing

Chapter 35: The Missing

**AN: Thanks to all my reviewers. You guys rock. Also, lemons in this chapter—just a warning!**

**Three Years Later (2016)**

RPOV

"Charlotte Addison Cullen! Would you cut it out?" I said, glaring at my six-year-old daughter who was jumping on the bed. She looked at me with her big blue eyes and stopped.

"Sorry Mommy." She climbed off the bed and walked over to me.

"Honey, where's your sister?"

"I don't know," she said, climbing on my lap. I ran my fingers through her bouncy curls.

"Can you go find her, Lola?" I said, calling her by her nickname and kissing her on the cheek.

"Okay Mommy," she said, hopping off my lap and running down the hall. "Gigi!" she called out as she looked for her sister. I went back to curling my hair for the wedding. I was sitting at my vanity in my nightgown as I did my hair and makeup. It was hard to believe that Cynthia, the little girl I had known since she was 15, was getting married to Seth Clearwater.

As I was thinking about Seth and Cynthia, Charlotte and Gisele came running into my room, both still in their pajamas. "I found her, Mommy!" Charlotte said, holding Gisele's hand.

I groaned when I saw them. "You both need to get dressed!" I said. "We have to leave as soon as Daddy gets home. Go into your rooms and bring your dresses in here. I'll help you get dressed." They both ran down the hall, their blonde curls bouncing. I turned back to my mirror and curled the last strand of hair, finishing the entire masterpiece with hairspray. Then, I picked up the diamond clips and pinned the curls on top of my head.

Lola and Gigi came back into my room with their matching white dresses—they were both flower girls in the wedding. I helped them both get dressed, then tied a white ribbon in their hair.

I heard the front door open and close.

"Daddy's back!" Lola screeched before running out of the room and down the stairs. Gigi followed closely behind her—she never left her sister's side. I went back to the mirror and applied my makeup. Emmett came into the room, a daughter under each arm. They were both giggling as he dropped them both on the bed.

Emmett walked over to me and kissed me on the cheek.

"Did you get it?" I asked him.

He nodded. "It's already wrapped and in the car. All we're waiting for is for you to get dressed so we can get over to the church. They'll have a problem starting if they're missing a groomsman, a bridesmaid, and two flower girls.

"I know, I know," I sighed, quickly applying blush. "I would be ready if it weren't for two minor distractions." I threw a glance at Lola and Gigi. They were both jumping on the bed.

"C'mon, munchkins," Emmett said, picking up the two giggling girls. "Let's let Mommy get ready. Why don't I put on _The Little Mermaid_ for you?" The three of them left the room as I finished my makeup.

My life for the past seven years had been close to perfect. I had a wonderful family with two beautiful daughters and a loving husband. Emmett had retired from playing football so he could focus more on our family. Instead, he became a football analyst for ESPN's _NFL Primetime _and a sometimes anchor for _Sportsline_. It was nice because he wasn't traveling all the time and was able to watch his daughters grow up. After I became a mother, I no longer modeled for Playboy. I wrote a bestselling book about the crash entitled _Stranded: A Survivor's Tale_. I also started writing children's books.

I walked into my closet and pulled out my bridesmaid dress. It was blue, extremely tight, and a Balenciaga original. I pulled on my Christian Louboutin tan pumps and walked downstairs. Lola and Gigi were sitting on the couch, watching _The Little Mermaid_.

Emmett and I had completely changed. Our language was now PG-13 at best. We knew every word to _The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast_, and _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_. Emmett's jeep was now always filled with Barbie dolls, princess coloring books, animal crackers, and apple juice. I traded in my BMW convertible for a black Audi Q7, a midsize SUV.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed my purse. I threw my compact, my lipstick, my blackberry, and my wallet inside. "C'mon, guys," I said, grabbing Emmett's keys and opening the front door.

"But Mommy, Ariel's about to sing a song!" Lola complained. Gigi nodded in agreement.

"Charlotte Addison and Gisele Elise! Get in the car now!" I said through clenched teeth. Their eyes widened as the hopped off the couch, grabbed their sweaters, and walked out to the car.

"Calm down, baby," Emmett said, rubbing my back.

I sighed. "I know. It's just, we're going to be late if we don't get a move on. Here," I said, handing him his keys. "You're driving."

Emmett grabbed my hand and we walked out to the car. I helped Lola and Gigi get buckled into their car seats, then climbed in the front seat next to Emmett. He backed the car out of the driveway and drove to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. I checked the clock. It said 2:30 pm. We were 15 minutes late. I helped Lola out of the car and grabbed her hand while Emmett carried Gigi inside.

********

APOV

"Where are they?" Cynthia hissed. "They were supposed to be here 15 minutes ago!" She started pacing back and forth in the room, biting her nails.

"Cindy, calm down," I said, standing up and putting a hand on my younger sister's shoulder. "They'll be here."

"They better if they value their lives! I'm missing a bridesmaid and two flower girls while Seth is missing one of his groomsmen. Ugh, I'm going to kill her!"

"We're here, we're here," Rosalie said, out of breath, as she towed Charlotte and Gisele into the room. They both had on matching white dresses with white ribbons in their hair. "I'm sorry we're late, but _some_ little girls had a little trouble getting up this morning." She shot a pointed look at her daughters. They smiled at her, then went over to sit next to Olivia and Emily, their twin cousins. Olivia was sitting on Bella's lap while Emily was on the ground, coloring. Bella was tying Olivia's bronze hair up with a bow. Emily's hair was already finished.

David, my one-year-old son, was with my mother. He was too young to be in the wedding, so he was going to sit and watch with her. Leah's three sons were with Mike while her infant daughter was with Mike's parents in the church.

"It's okay," Cynthia said calmly. "I was just getting worried you weren't going to make it in time. I would have killed you if you missed it."

Rosalie laughed. "I know." She turned and looked at her children. "Lola, come here. Let me fix your ribbon." Charlotte got up and walked over to Rosalie. She knelt down and straightened the ribbon in her hair. Charlotte gave her mother a kiss, then went back to playing with her sister.

"I never understood why you call her that," I said, gesturing to Charlotte.

"Well, when Gisele was little, she couldn't say 'Charlotte.' We were trying to teach her, and she called her 'Lola.' I guess the name just stuck. Even her kindergarten teacher called her Lola."

"I don't know how you guys do it," I said. "I can barely handle David by myself. How do you manage Lola and Gigi?"

"I don't know. I mean, Emmett's home to help when he's not at work, but I guess it's that they're pretty well behaved—for the most part." Gisele came over at that moment with tears in her eyes. She started tugging at Rosalie's dress. "Sweetie, Mommy's talking to Alice right now. Hold on a moment."

"Mommy, Lola took Mr. Bear!" she sobbed. Rosalie sighed.

"Lola! Give your sister her teddy bear!" She bent down and kissed Gisele on her head as she ran back to her sister. Rosalie pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's like that every day. I swear, Lola lives to torture her sister."

"That's nothing," Leah said. "Evan, Bryant, and Ryan are always getting into trouble. I swear, I'm in the emergency room every other week for a sprained ankle or a broken wrist or something. I'm pretty sure Doctor Snow knows them better than I do."

"How old are they now?" I asked.

"Evan is 7, Bryant is 5, and Ryan is 3."

"Guys, it's almost time," my dad said, walking into the room.

"Alright girls, everyone get up!" I said, walking over to Bella and the flower girls. Bella picked Olivia up and put her on the ground while Emily put her coloring book away and Charlotte helped Gisele up. I handed them each a basket filled with pink rose petals.

The music started, and I sent Charlotte out first. She met Evan in the aisle and the two of them walked down together. Gisele and Bryant went next, followed by Ryan with Olivia and Emily on either side. I went next, the maid of honor, escorted by Edward, the best man. Bella and Jasper followed us, then Rosalie and Emmett and finally Leah and Mike. The organist struck up the wedding march as my father walked Cynthia down the aisle.

She reached the altar, then kissed my dad on the cheek. She walked up, handed me her bouquet, and stood across from Seth. The minister went through the readings and other parts of the ceremony before the exchange of the vows and rings. Evan, Bryant, and Ryan brought up the pillow with the rings on it and handed it to the minister. Cynthia took the ring and turned to Seth.

"Seth, I have been waiting for this day since the moment I met you. I remember seeing you across the fire, talking to your sister. I had never seen a cuter boy in my entire life. And when I saw you, I knew there was no way you liked me like I liked you. You were a cute guy, and I was a spoiled heiress. But, a few days later, when you told me you liked me, I knew we were going to be together forever. Through the plane crash, senior year together at Beverly Hills High, and college at Cal Berkley, we've been through everything together. I can't imagine myself with anyone besides you. You were my first and only love, and I want it to stay that way. Today, I am, before our families and God, I am pledging my love to you. I promise to be honest and faithful, to love, honor, and cherish until the day I die." She slid the ring onto Seth's finger.

"Wow," Seth said. "That was amazing, Cynthia. I don't know how I'm going to top that. I had something written down, but I'm not going to read it. My father once told me that the best words are words from the heart, so that's what I'm going to do. Cynthia, you are the most amazing girl I've ever been with. Actually, before I met you, I had never had a girlfriend. I mean, I had liked girls, but nothing like this. You are the sweetest, kindest, funniest girl I have ever met in my life. I can't wait for us to start our lives together. I promise to love you and honor you, to protect you from harm, in this life and the next." He slid the ring he and I had picked out together onto her finger.

"I know pronounce you man and wife," the minister said. "You may kiss the bride." Seth pulled Cynthia close to him and kissed her gently. I handed her her bouquet as she and Seth walked from the church out to the limo, waiting to bring them to the reception. The rest of the wedding party and me followed them, waving to them as they disappeared around the corner.

"Okay, let's get over to the reception," I said, taking Jasper's hand. My mom walked over and handed me David. He was still sleeping, even with all the noise going on in the background. Jasper and I walked over to the car and drove to the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, where the reception was being held.

Cynthia's wedding and my wedding were very different. I had a small one on the beach, designed to piss my parents off since they wanted a large social event. Cynthia's was the party of the season. Everyone was invited, which was why they chose the Miramar because their outdoor reception area was larger than the other hotels.

Jasper pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and pulled into an open space. I carried David and walked into the outdoor reception area while Jasper went to check into the hotel room we had rented for the night. Rosalie, Bella, Leah, and I had decided to get a room for the kids to stay in if they got tired, which they probably would. David was already sleeping, so he wouldn't be at the reception much longer.

Bella, Edward, and their daughters were already there. Olivia and Emily were sitting at the table with their hands held out. Bella handed then each a box of crayons and they started coloring in their coloring book. Rosalie was holding Gisele while Emmett sat Charlotte at the table. Leah held Maribel, her daughter, while Evan, Bryant, and Ryan were sitting at the table with Olivia, Emily, and Charlotte.

People kept arriving and taking their seats at their tables. Cynthia and Seth had set it up so the children's table was right next to the bridal party's table. Jasper and I sat at the other table with Rosalie, Emmett, Bella, Edward, Lean, and Mike while our kids were sitting at their table, coloring and talking to one another.

David, who was still sleeping, stayed on my lap. Leah kept Maribel while Rosalie put Gisele with the other kids. I sat with my head on Jasper's shoulder as we waited for Seth and Cynthia to arrive.

********

BPOV

"You look beautiful," Edward whispered in my ear as we twirled on the dance floor together.

"You don't look half bad yourself," I said, smoothing his tie. I rested my head on his shoulder as we swayed to "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing," our wedding song. I sighed as I nuzzled my nose into his neck. He wrapped his arms tighter around my waist.

"C'mon, let's go back to our room," he whispered seductively in my ear. I could feel his hands gripping my hips with a longing intensity.

"Edward," I sighed, "We can't. We can't just leave Emily and Olivia here."

"Bells, Alice, Leah, and everyone else are here to watch them. C'mon, ten minutes!" I looked at him and saw the sparkle in his eyes that reminded me how he was when we first met.

My lips twitched. I grabbed his hand and dragged him off the dance floor and into the hall. I saw an individual bathroom and pulled him inside, locking the door. I turned to face him and he put his hands on my hips. He pulled me close to him and put his mouth on mine. I felt his hot breath in my mouth as his hands raced up and down my body. He shoved his tongue inside my mouth and I let out an involuntary moan.

Edward pulled his mouth off mine and chuckled. He dragged his nose along the length of my collarbone and I shivered. He lifted me up and sat me un top of the sink. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him close to me. I felt him go hard against me.

"I need to be inside of you," he moaned in my ear. His slid his hand up past my knee until he reached the hem of my dress. He gripped the bottom of my dress with both his hands and pushed it up so it was right at the bottom of my butt. He groaned when he saw I was wearing underwear.

He moved his head from my neck to my crotch. He pulled my underwear down with his teeth until they were around my ankles. Then, he moved his hands further under my dress and grabbed my bare ass. I gasped and pulled him closer to me.

He moved his one hand off me and reached around to the front of his pants. He undid the zipper and pulled all of his magnificent 8 inches out. I saw he was long and hard. He put his hands in between my legs and pulled them further apart.

He slowly moved closer to me until the tip of him was about to enter me.

"Edward, do it," I whispered. He smiled mischievously as he started slowly easing himself into me. I was not having this—I wanted all of him in me NOW. I grabbed the color of his shirt and pulled him close to me, taking all of him in me in one, hard movement.

"Bella," he moaned.

"Edward," I moaned, looking him in the eyes. "Fuck me."

He winked at me before lifting me off the sink and slammed me into the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he used the wall to penetrate deeper into me. I dug my nails into Edward's shoulder as I gasped out loud.

He whipped me around and slammed me into a different wall. He thrust himself into me again and I moaned out of pleasure. He pulled me off the wall and sat me on the sink again. He pumped in and out of me as I held onto his shoulders. I leaned forward and licked his earlobe. He flashed me his crooked smile and moved his mouth to my neck.

He devoured me hungrily as he kept pumping in and out of me.

"Oh, Edward. Oh, Edward," I moaned as he kept thrusting in and out of me. His hands were racing up and down my back as my spine arched, sending him deeper into me. "I'm—I'm—" I gasped out, breathing heavily.

"Fuck, Bella, I'm coming," he said. He exploded inside of me as I came at the same time. I dug my nails into his back and he growled in my ear. From pain or pleasure, I didn't know. He slammed his fist into the sink I was sitting on, and I felt it jerk.

"Edward," I said warily. He pounded the sink again and I held onto Edward as the porcelain sink dropped to the ground with a loud crash.

"Shit," he muttered. I looked at his bewildered face and started laughing uncontrollably.

"Edward!" I gasped out between giggles. "I can't believe you broke the sink!"

He grinned at me and kissed me on the cheek. He pulled himself out of me and put me on the floor. I pulled my panties up and my dress back down. I tried smoothing out my hair, but saw it was a battle lost.

"Great," I moaned, looking in the mirror. "My hair is a rat's nest."

"It looks sexy on you," Edward said, coming behind me and putting his hands on my hips. I instinctively flexed my back and pressed my butt into his dick. I turned around and kissed him on the lips.

"C'mon," I said, taking his hand. "Emily and Olivia are going to be wondering where we war. Plus, they're probably getting tired. We should put them to bed."

Edward and I sneaked out of the bathroom and back into the reception. Alice was sitting at the table, rocking David, who was still sleeping. On the dance floor, Evan and Charlotte were dancing next to Ryan and Olivia. Over at the kids table, Emily was stretched out on three chairs, fast asleep. Bryant and Gisele were lying on the floor, coloring.

I walked onto the dance floor up to Olivia. "Hey, sweetie," I said, crouching next to her. "Are you feeling tired?"

She yawned and nodded her head.

"Do you want to go to bed?" She nodded. "Okay, let's go." I took her hand and walked back to the table with her. Edward already had Emily in his arms. I picked Olivia up and walked up to Alice.

"Hey, Bella," she said, smirking at my disheveled appearance.

"Hey. We were going to take Emily and Olivia and put them in bed. Did you want to bring David, too?"

"Good idea. Let me go check with Rosalie and Leah and see if they want to put their kids to bed too." She walked off to where Rosalie and Emmett were dancing next to Mike and Leah. I saw them nod, then Alice walked back to me.

"We taking them too?"

"Yeah. Let me go get the kids and we'll put them in bed."

I went over to Mike's mom and took Maribel from her. Olivia walked next to me as Edward, Alice, and I brought the kids into the hotel room we rented. I helped Olivia and the other girls change into their pajamas while Edward helped Leah's sons. Once they were all dressed, we tucked them all in. Alice sang them a lullaby as they fell asleep. Once they were all sleeping, the three of us crept out of the room and went back to the reception.

Edward and I returned to the dance floor. He spun me around with grace I didn't have. We kept spinning and spinning until I needed a break. Edward and I sat back down at the table and had a piece of cake and a glass of wine.

"This is a lot of fun," I said, kissing him on the cheek. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his chest.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear. "It's so nice to finally spend time with you without the girls."

"Do you think they're okay?" I asked, a little worried.

"They're fine," he said. "Bella, their sleeping. How much trouble could they get in?"

I stood up. Edward looked at me, confused. "I'm going to go check on them and see how they're doing. I'll be right back," I said, giving him a kiss. I walked back into the hotel and down the hall until I came to room 1134. I put the card in the door and pulled it out. The light blinked green and I opened the door.

When I walked in, the room was completely dark. That was odd—when we left, we left the blinds slightly opened so a little light shined in. I flipped the switch on the wall and gasped.

There were clothes, scattered all over the floor in the first room. The television was on the ground and the desk was turned over. The beds were empty. I ran into the joining room, and the same sight met my eyes. The room was in disarray, and there was no one there.

"Olivia! Emily!" I screamed. There was no answer. I walked to the patio door, and stepped on broken glass. I looked at the door and saw the glass had been shattered. I flung the door open, but didn't see anything.

"Ryan! Evan!" I shouted. No one answered me. I raced back through the room and out into the hall. I ran up, knocking on the doors of the people next door to us, asking if they'd seen the children. They hadn't.

The tears were pouring down my face as I ran to the front desk. I rang the bell and the woman came to me. She looked at me worried as she took in my frantic state.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" she asked.

"Have you seen several young children in their pajamas recently?"

"No. The only people who've been up here are Mr. and Mrs. Cook. Is something wrong?"

I didn't say anything. I ran back to the reception.

Everyone was still dancing and having fun. They didn't realize that a major crisis was going on. I had to get everyone's attention.

I ran in, screaming at the top of my lungs. The band stopped playing and everyone looked at me, terrified. I dropped to my knees in the middle of the dance floor and broke down into tears.

Edward ran over to me and knelt by my side. "Bella, what's wrong?" he whispered. "What happened?"

"The kids," I choked out. "The kids…" I felt into Edward's chest. He stroked the top of my head while I kept muttering.

"What's going on?" Alice asked, coming over to us.

"I don't know," Edward said, looking worried. "She keeps saying 'the kids,' but I don't know why."

"Bella," Cynthia said, walking up to us with Seth behind her. "Is everything okay?"

"No," I sobbed. "The kids!"

"Bella, what about the kids?" Edward asked. Why didn't anyone understand what I was trying to say?

"Bella, what's going on?" Rosalie asked, crouching down next to me.

"You're scaring us!"Leah said, worried.

I sat up and looked around at everyone. I took a deep breath. "It's the kids. They're gone!" I let out another sob and collapsed into Edward's chest.

**So this is the end of ****Stranded****. I know it ends on a cliffhanger, but it's not the end of Bella, Edward, and the rest of the survivors. On either Tuesday or Wednesday (7/21 or 7/22) the sequel to ****Stranded**** will be published. It's called ****The Missing**** and will follow Bella, Edward, and the rest of the group as they track down their missing children. Old faces will be seen, as long as new ones. There will be plenty of drama, as well as flashbacks and flash-forwards. Secrets will be revealed. If you think you know all the dirty laundry of the JAL Ten, think again! I hope to see some of the same readers and reviewers. I really hope you all enjoyed ****Stranded****. I know I enjoyed writing it. **


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